Heart and Mind
by UltraCutie
Summary: (INDEFINITE HIATUS) A Guild hunter meets a Wycademy researcher. As they work together to unravel the secrets of higher power, they discover that it's not just monsters that'll give them trouble. Romance, self-worth, what it means to be alive. A story less about hunting monsters and more about monster hunters.
1. Not Naked, but still Afraid

Chapter 1

The lush, green environment of the Primal Forest was always a welcome respite to Valentina. It was her favorite place to hunt, gather, or simply relax and take a hike. The sun peeked through the canopy of the thick trees to form dancing spots of light on the ground. The tranquil environment, the peaceful wildlife, it all combined to define what Valentina loved about nature.

Except today.

It wasn't the fact that the animals were annoyingly louder than usual. It wasn't because the air was abnormally humid, marking one of the hottest days of the season. It wasn't even being surrounded by a pack of Genprey constantly taking nips at her armor, trying to find a weak spot, that made Valentina despise being in the forest today. It was because-

" _I'm late for my date!_ " she sobbed as she shot another arrow at a hissing Genprey. "And it's all your fault!" The raptor was knocked back into the air, dead, but two more took its place, hissing and yipping.

It had seemed simple. Go to the Primal Forest, mine up some minerals, and be back in town before nightfall. At least, that's what the post on the Quest Board had told her. But somewhere along the way, the spirits above had decided to pull the most epic prank of the year and set loose a pack of screeching raptors to terrorize Valentina for hours and prevent her from completing her quest on time. The sun was slowly descending closer to the horizon, and Valentina was descending closer to an emotional break.

"How can I miss my first one-year-anniversary?! I'm such a horrible girlfriend!" Valentina wailed as she sank to her knees on the dirt floor. Her secret mission to find a jewelled anniversary gift among the minerals she would have mined had ended in failure. Dropping her bow in despair, she curled into a ball and desperately prayed that the Genprey would finally get bored trying to breach her Rathian-scale armor and find something else to bully.

Sensing an opportunity to attack, the Genprey tightened their circle, drawing nearer to the cowering huntress. She yelped as one of them snapped at her blonde ponytail, unprotected by her helmet. As they prepared to pounce, a sudden resounding noise in the distance made the pack turn their heads in unison, momentarily forgetting their target. Valentina heard it too, and as she focused, the sound came again, this time seeming farther away.

"Was that… a monster roar?" Sitting up, the huntress caught a glimpse of a flock of birds above her head, startled by the sudden roaring, flying in the opposite direction. The surrounding Genprey began to yap to each other, and after a few seconds, started in the direction of the commotion; perhaps there was an easier target to find there. As they dispersed around Valentina, a passing Genprey had the malice to snap at her item pouch, snagging a roll of paper that was peeking out of the top.

"Hey! My map!" She swiped at the raptor, but it danced out of her reach and sprinted away, clutching her means of finding her way back between its jaws. A few moments later, Valentina was alone. The distraction had helped get rid of the pests, but now Valentina was lost deep in the Primal Forest. Stunned, she shakily stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. When had it become so cold? The sky above was a deep shade of violet, signifying the start of the night. The sudden silence around her seemed deafening. If the quest had gone to plan, she would be enjoying herself on her date right now, laughing and having a lovely time.

"No map, no date, and I definitely failed the quest," Valentina mused to herself. "Maybe I _should_ have signed up for that Felyne Insurance." Giggling quietly, she forced a smile onto her face. A positive outlook never hurt anyone.

Bending down to pick up her bow, the huntress began to think of solutions. If she camped out for the night, a rescue would come in the morning. But sleeping was the worst option; there would be nothing standing between the snoozing hunter and a large, angry monster. There wasn't any reasonable direction to start walking in, either. Unless…

 _That monster wasn't roaring at nothing_ , thought Valentina. If there was a chance of a fellow hunter doing a night hunt somewhere near her, she would gladly take companionship over being stuck alone in the dark forest. Nodding to herself, Valentina followed in the Genprey's direction, disappearing into the shroud of the night-ridden trees.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—

The bright moon shined its light through the thick canopy, casting a soft glow from above. The forest was mostly silent, save for a few insect cries and the sounds of Valentina's footsteps. Her trek had reached an hour in length. Shivering, the huntress kept herself entertained by singing soft tunes to no one in particular.

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the Conga sleep tonight…"

It felt as though she had walked ten leagues. Despite her many visits to the Primal Forest, she was in unknown territory.

"A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh…"

Casting her gaze downward, Valentina was startled to see something other than leaves and sticks. Laying on the dirt ground, reflecting the pale moonlight, was an empty glass phial. Perplexed, she stooped down to pick up the tube. Before a close inspection could be made, however, a burning smell wafted through the air, making Valentina wrinkle her nose.

"What the-" She stopped as she looked up and was stunned by the scene before her.

It was undoubtedly a camp of some kind, but the entire area looked ravaged. The remains of a destroyed circular tent smoldered, casting puffs of dark smoke into the night sky. A wooden table leaned on the ground with one leg intact. There was rubble everywhere: broken tools, shreds of burnt cloth, and shattered glass phials identical to the one in Valentina's hand were spread haphazardly. The air had a tense atmosphere; she surmised that the attack must have happened recently.

"...Hello?" called Valentina hesitantly. She drew her bow and gripped it with a shaky hand. "Anyone need help?" Picking her way through the mess, she looked for any signs of life. "And if you do need help, sorry, because I'm not a medic…"

Reaching an item chest that was nearly torn in half, Valentina picked up a charred book. She opened it and glanced at the text.

"Notes on monsters… Great Jaggi, Bnahabra, Melynx…" Alongside the notes were crudely drawn pictures of their respective monster. Taking a closer look at the cover, Valentina could make out the faded three-tipped symbol of the Wycademy, the Guild's research division. "Someone's out here on a field study?"

A nearby groan made her jump.

"Scoot, that'd better not be you..."

Was someone still here? Valentina whipped her head around, trying to locate the source of the unknown voice.

"If it is, then get over here so I can kick your ass… ugh..."

Spotting a pair of legs protruding from the wrecked tent, she hurried over, ignoring the littered items she was kicking around.

"Hey! Is someone there?" said Valentina frantically, bending over and addressing the mysterious pair of legs.

"...Of course not." The voice was muffled by the layers of tent canvas.

"Hold on! I'm gonna get you out of there!" She began to dig through the wreckage, throwing aside burning chunks of canvas and broken tent wires.

"You're not Scoot, or else you wouldn't bother trying to help me…" The resignated voice sighed. "Just let me die…"

Ripping away the last piece of tent, Valentina stared at who was underneath.

A young man, probably in his twenties, lay spread-eagle on the ground with the smoldering tent surrounding him. His black hair was in disarray around his face, and one side of his glasses was cracked. He definitely couldn't be a hunter because his long white lab coat, however scorched and ripped, bore the unmistakable symbol of the Wycademy.

Valentina stared at the stranger in amazement. Whatever had happened at this camp, it was astounding that he survived. Judging by his attire, he had had barely any means of self defense. After staring back at her for a few seconds, he groaned again and laid his head back on the ground, covering his eyes with an arm.

"...Thanks, I guess. It feels better not being smothered by a burning tarp."

"Wh-wha-what-... are you…? Okay…?" Valentina sputtered, perplexed by his nonchalant attitude.

"Just peachy. Hold on." The man pushed himself off of the ground, and with a final groan of discomfort, stood up, dusted himself off, and adjusted his glasses. "Did you happen to see a hunter anywhere around here?"

"No one but me, I think…" Valentina furrowed her brow in worry. "Can you tell me what happened here? I just found your camp like this."

He gave her a sideways look. "Sorry, but I'm not really sure who you are. Although, I can assume you're a Guild hunter," he said, gesturing to her weapon and armor. She nodded. "Is the name Cierro familiar to you?"

She shook her head. The man squinted at her for a few seconds before sighing in relief. "I can tell you're not lying. Had to make sure you weren't one of the Wycademy goons on the hunt for me." He stepped out of the remains of his tent and surveyed his ravaged camp. "Fuckin' Scoot…"

Valentina blinked, registering what he had just said. "Wait, hold on. The Wycademy is hunting for you? Who are you, exactly?" She stepped in front of him and planted her hands on her hips. Trying to be as intimidating as possible, she proclaimed, "If you're a criminal, or a thug, o-or anything like that, you're in big trouble! I am a Guild hunter, an-and it's my duty to bring justice and peace to the world!" She puffed out her chest to emphasize her authority.

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Then the man let out a sigh and put his hands in his pockets in surrender. "Curses, you've caught me," he drawled. "I'm secretly a highly notorious bandit wanted for stealing Wycademy secrets. Now that you know who I am, prepare to die." He assumed a mock fighting stance.

This was lost on Valentina, however. Her eyes opened wide in terror and she began to shake out of fear. "P-please don't hurt me," she whispered. "Tonight was supposed to be my one year anniversary date, and I still want to become a G-rank hunter, an-and I owe a lot of people money, and-" Her clear blue eyes filled up with tears, and she began to sob.

The man was a loss for what to do. "H-hey, I was kidding. I'm not going to hurt you, so... please stop crying." The man lowered his hands and scratched the back of his head. "It was a joke…"

Valentina sniffled and wiped her eyes with her wrists. "Then who are you?" she asked as she regained her composure.

He raised his eyebrows and straightened his lab coat.

"My name is Cierro. I'm an ex-researcher hiding from the Wycademy, wanted for 'unethical treatment of monsters'. Care to explain how you found me here?"

End of Chapter 1


	2. What is Love?

Chapter 2

* * *

 _ **(FLASHBACK START)**_

"Hurry, hurry…"

The usual comfort of Valentina's house was nowhere to be found. Valentina cursed herself as she hastily slipped on her armor. Not only had she overslept on the day of her relationship's one-year anniversary, she had also forgotten that the normal thing to do was to give your partner a gift of some sort.

"No worries, I'll- I'll take a mining quest, find something really nice, and I'll be back super quick." She took a deep breath as she tied her blonde hair into a ponytail. "It's only noon, I can be fast…"

Outside her window, Valentina could hear the familiar hustle and bustle of the city as its citizens moved from place to place. It was a Guild business capital, high in population and full of life. Naturally, its need for hunters was nothing short of other cities. Valentina lived in a portion of the city dedicated to housing Guild hunters, and as a result, was never short of work, money, or friends. She loved the atmosphere of the area, too, because there was a sense of peace and easy prosperity. There had been no serious situations in several years: no major monster attacks, no freak weather incidents, nothing of the sort. It was hard not to enjoy life in the city… except for today.

The sun reflected off of Valentina's boots as she strapped them into place and straightened up with a huff of determination. Her armor, forged from Rathian materials, jangled quietly as she quick-stepped to her equipment chest and retrieved her favorite bow, similarly composed of the dragon queen's components. Double-checking that everything was in place, Valentina took another deep breath as she stepped to the door.

"Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed." She steeled her nerves, swung the door open, and-

 _WHAM!_

"Whoa!"

The huntress found herself sprawled across the ground outside of her door with another body underneath her. They had apparently been standing on the other side of the entrance as she came bolting out, causing both of them to topple to the ground.

Some passersby glanced at the two figures and sped up their walking, whispering among themselves. Valentina quickly realized the situation and scrambled to stand up, profusely apologizing as she went.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright? Let me-" She halted as she took in the person before her. "...Melia?"

The purple-haired girl on the ground groaned and rubbed her head.

"Well, I'm glad you could recognize your own girlfriend," she said painfully, and took Valentina's outstretched hand, lifting herself up. Dusting herself off, she placed her hand on her hip and looked at Valentina with piercing blue eyes. "Who, by the way, didn't oversleep on her one-year anniversary."

Melia, a stocky, snappy huntress, was Valentina's girlfriend of one year. Her calm demeanor masked a quick-thinking and sarcastic personality, often acting as a stabilizer to her partner's boisterous energy. More than several male hunters in the Guild had been allured by her fair skin and short, lavender hair, but were ultimately disappointed when they saw her obvious intimacy with Valentina. The two often hunted together, with her being an upfront attacker with her insect glaive and the other supporting her from a distance. Melia was rarely seen without her weapon and armor, but today was an exception; she stood in front of Valentina wearing a simple, white, long-sleeved dress, an outfit intent on spending the day in relaxation.

Valentina sputtered indignantly. "I didn't- that's not- I just woke up late because that dumb Palico Opal snuck some Felvine after yesterday's quest and forgot to wake me up!" she pouted. "No way I'd forget something as important as today! What are you doing here, anyway?"

Melia raised an eyebrow. "Is it so horrible for me to want to hang out with my girlfriend on the day of our anniversary?" she teased. "And are you sure you didn't forget? What are you doing looking like you're ready to go on a hunt?"

"Well, about that… I was actually going to, uh… get an armor check up, and um…" Valentina looked to the side and tapped her fingers together. "S-scout out that bistro for our date tonight, you know, and… gonna…" She trailed off as Melia crossed her arms and stared at her unbelievingly. She hung her head in shame and mumbled, "I forgot to get you a gift for our anniversary and was hoping to find something on a mining quest…"

Melia looked taken aback and a bit flattered. "What? Tina, you don't have to give me anything," she said, unraveling her arms.

"Of course I do," said Valentina, firing up. "It's what my mom did for my dad on their anniversary, and I always wanted to do it someday." She clenched her fists and, looking at Melia with determined eyes, stepped forward and embraced her. "I- I wanna do this."

The girl blinked, and then laughed good-naturedly. "Tina, you're too cute," she smiled. "If that's what you want to do, then go ahead. I can't stop you." She broke the hug and held Valentina at arm's length. "I'll be waiting for you."

Valentina nodded, and as she began to walk toward the Guild Hall, she found herself being pulled back by the hand. Turning her head, she saw Melia looking at her with a worried expression.

"What is it?"

"Just-" Melia hesitated. "Just be careful. Please."

"What do you mean?" asked Valentina, tilting her head. "It's just a gathering quest, right? No surprise Deviljhos or anything, like last time."

"No, it's just… knowing you, if you get carried away and take too long, or if you lose your map and can't get to base camp, you'll fail the quest and the Palicos won't take you home until tomorrow morning. And that means…" She looked at her with raised eyebrows.

Valentina rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Don't worry, Melia. No way I'd miss our date. Not for anything."

 _ **(FLASHBACK END)**_

* * *

"Not for anything…"

Valentina gazed somberly into the campfire. She could feel Cierro's eyes on her from the other side. High above, the moon slowly meandered its way down to the horizon.

After their brief introductions, Valentina had helped the ex-researcher clean up what remained of his camp and lit a small fire to wait out the night. Cierro remained silent as she recounted the events leading up to the discovery of his destroyed encampment. He had assured her that he would explain everything about himself as soon as she confirmed that the Wycademy hadn't sent her.

"Sorry about your date," was all he said as Valentina ended her story. She didn't respond as she wistfully picked apart a ration from her pouch. "The emergency Palicos will be here soon enough."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Like I said, you're clearly not from the Wycademy, and you helped me out of that tent, so I'll trust you. Ask me what you want to know."

Valentina pondered for a second as she looked into the fire. "Why are you out here? And what happened to your camp? It's absolutely destroyed."

Cierro sighed. "Genprey attack." She froze. "Probably the ones you encountered. That huge monster roar you mentioned wasn't far from here, so I suppose they got spooked. Ran through here, completely tore up the place, and knocked over some lanterns. Which…" He gestured to the pile of charred tarp that was once his tent. "Got most of my research notes too."

Valentina looked away and felt guilt rising within her. Had she caused this?

"It wasn't your fault." Cierro's voice had a stern undertone to it. She looked back at him. "Nothing you could have done. It happened and now it's over." She nodded but still felt a bit uneasy as he continued, "As for why I'm out here… I told you that I used to be a researcher at the Wycademy. I was exiled, for reasons I've already told you, but I managed to take some important documents before I left. Classified information that shouldn't be in the public eye. I'm currently- I _was_ in hiding, and, well…" He looked at his tent again.

The huntress glanced at him furtively. "So that's why people would be after you."

"Correct. Probably want to arrest me before I spill any top-secret info. Now that it's all in shreds, I'll have a tough time doing _that_ ," he said flatly, taking a swig of water from a canteen.

The fire crackled dully as Valentina thought of her next question. "Why were you exiled from the Wycademy in the first place? Did you do something illegal?" She looked up, expecting some horrible crime or treason. What did "unethical treatment of monsters" mean in the Guild's monster research division?

Cierro scratched his head and looked to the side. "Well… you know what a Giggi is, right? Being a hunter and all?"

"Yeah, those big worms that drain your blood? Why?" Valentina tilted her head, puzzled.

"I used to keep them in my desk," he continued, "which you're not supposed to do. I just wanted to research them a bit more thoroughly."

"And that's why they banned you?"

"Not exactly. I left my window curtains open one morning, and they somehow got out of my desk, and… well…" He crossed his arms. "Giggi are extremely sensitive to light. They were found that afternoon, shriveled up on my paperwork."

Valentina stared at him blankly. "You were exiled from the Wycademy because you accidentally killed your smuggled Giggi?" she said incredulously. After he didn't respond, she burst out laughing. "What?! I thought you tortured captive monsters or something! Giggi! Ahahahaha!"

"Don't laugh." Cierro's face tinged red and he looked away hotly as she continued to giggle. "It was for science. Next question."

After a bit, her laughter subsided. Still smiling, she pulled a paintball from her pouch and began to fiddle with it as she asked, "Who's Scoot?"

Instantly, the air felt colder. Valentina was bewildered as Cierro's face became deadly serious. The fire seemed to shrink as he intertwined his fingers and glared deeply into the flames.

"Gog damn it… fucking Scoot…" His voice was dripping with murder.

A few seconds of silence breezed over the two as neither spoke. Then, Cierro closed his eyes and said shortly, "Scoot _was_ my research assistant. A Guild hunter, like you. He came with me when I was exiled from the Wycademy. Slept in that very tent."

"You're always cursing his name. Do you… hate him?" asked Valentina timidly.

"Hate is a weak word. He was a decent assistant, sure. But a terrible hunter. Never useful for anything bigger than an Altaroth. And after that monster roared, and then those Genprey came…" He pointed toward an opening in the trees. "Fastest I'd ever seen him go. Never looked back. Left me to the those stupid Bird Wyverns."

"Wow, I'm… sorry to hear that," said the huntress sympathetically. She looked up and noticed the stars disappearing. "But hey—the morning comes once again."

Cierro glanced up as well, and a sudden thought seemed to strike him. Valentina returned her gaze to him and asked, "So, when the Palicos come, what are you going to do? Stay out here?"

He looked up at her. "I-" The sound of a field horn cut him off abruptly.

"Ah!" The sudden noise startled Valentina, causing her to squeeze her paintball and break it, spreading a pink mist throughout the camp.

"Nya! Paintball signal spotted! E-meow-gency rescue fur Hunter Valentina!" The echoing feline voice sounded distant.

The huntress turned, and in a blur of motion, Cierro leaped over the campfire and seized her wrist. She turned back in shock and struggled against his grip.

"Hey! What're you-"

"Listen to me." Valentina saw beads of sweat on Cierro's forehead. "You can't tell anyone that you saw me out here. The Wycademy have people all over, there's bound to be someone where you come from."

"I- I won't!" She broke free of his grasp and stepped backward in a defensive position. As the sun rose and the area slowly brightened, she could make out the desperate expression on Cierro's face.

He shook his head. "No, you're- I'm sorry, I know I said I could trust you, but I'm pretty good at reading people. You'll mention it on accident and then forget that you said it. I've seen it in people before."

Valentina could hear the brush rustling nearby, coming closer to the camp. The campfire smoked low to the ground, turning to embers. "So what do you want me to do?"

The researcher looked at the ground, then back up. "Let me come back with you. I can disguise myself, change my identity. Make sure you don't slip who I am. You've seen my situation." He waved an arm at his ruined camp. "I can't stay out here. I need to continue my research somewhere."

"Why would I do that? You couldn't stay anywhere but with me. Do you know how illegal it is to harbor a fugitive?" she retorted.

"I- I can help you!" Cierro exclaimed. "You said you wanted to get promoted to G-rank, right? I know people, I've got connections. I can help you get there."

"That's-" Valentina hesitated, and in that moment, a Palico burst out of the brush, making both of them jump. He wore the standard Derring armor, the sign of a Guild rescue Palico.

"Nya, there you are, Miss Valentina." He pawed at his ears. "I'm here to take you back to the Guild Hall after your… quest failure. Oh?" The Palico stared at Cierro. "A-nya-ther lost Guildperson? Is this your furr-end, Miss Valentina?"

She looked up and met Cierro's pleading eyes. _G-rank… it's been my dream ever since I became a hunter_ , she considered silently. _He trusted me, and I should return the favor..._

"Miss?"

Valentina turned and smiled brightly. "Of course. Take him back with me." The campfire burned out with a puff of white smoke.

"Excellent." The Palico saluted. "Follow me, purr-lease."

As the two turned their backs on the camp, Cierro whispered, "Thanks. Again. Let's help each other out from now on, yeah?"

"We'll see," Valentina replied. "First, I have an anniversary to finish." The sun peeked over the horizon as the two followed the Palico back into the depths of the forest.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Not Illegal to be Friends

Chapter 3

The cool wind brushing against Valentina's face, she leaned over the railing of the airship as it headed back to the city. A Guild-issued emergency balloon, it had enough space to hold four armor-clad hunters; though at the moment it contained a hunter, a researcher, a Palico, and a muscular pilot, who didn't speak as he kept his eyes on the horizon. Valentina brushed a strand of blonde hair away and, looking at the canopy of trees below as it zipped past, decided to avoid taking quests in the forest for a while. So many things had happened, it was hard to take it all in. She pondered the future. Was Cierro really a wanted criminal? What was she getting herself into? There was nothing to do but—

"Enjoying your internal monologue over there?" a voice asked from behind her.

"What?! No, I just—" Valentina turned around, reddening. "That's not what I was doing, okay? And why are you on the floor?"

Sitting hunched against the wall of the airship basket, Cierro replied, "Never took airships to my field studies. If I can't see the ground, it can't see me." He wrapped his arms tighter around his knees and cleared his throat loudly. "Don't look at me like that," he snapped as Valentina gave him a pitiful gaze.

She shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention as the Palico approached Cierro.

"Purr-don me sir, but may I get your name? It's fur the official rescue documents," he asked, holding out a quill and a pad of paper.

Cierro took them without looking at the Felyne. "Couldn't be bothered to write it yourself?" he mumbled as he scribbled something and gave the items back.

Valentina crossed her arms as the Palico pawed at his whiskers. "Sincerest a-paw-logies, sir, but us Felynes are not in possession of opposable thumbs. Meow-st inconvenient." He padded back to the front of the ship.

"You know, you should treat him more nicely," said Valentina sternly. "He was just being polite."

Cierro adjusted his glasses. "The Wycademy was mostly humans. I'm not used to dealing with those—things."

"You mean Palicos?"

"Whatever."

Valentina sighed and returned to leaning over the railing. The sun was nearing its peak, casting a shadow from the balloon into the basket. The trees below changed to a wide open plain. Kelbi bounded across the grass and Aptonoth grazed peacefully. Her mind wandered, and she began to consider the best way to apologize to Melia about missing their date. Then she thought of what Melia would think of her returning from the forest with a complete stranger, the morning after their anniversary...

"You didn't write your real name on there, did you?" she asked.

He scoffed. "Of course not. I already forgot what I put down."

"That's good." She turned her head to look at him. "Once we get into town, how are you going to disguise yourself? You're kind of… well, you stand out."

Cierro glanced at the Wycademy symbol sewn into his coat. "Yeah, I suppose." He slipped off the coat and tied it around his waist. "As for my face…" He took his glasses off and swept his hair to cover his forehead. "Pretty good, right?"

Valentina raised her eyebrows. "Amazing," she giggled.

"You'd be surprised at how it's worked before."

"Oh, I'm sure." Smiling, she turned back to looking at the clouds, unsure what to think of the researcher. He seemed to know what he was doing, but clueless at the same time. She had a plan to sort him out once back in town and hoped he would cooperate.

"We are approaching our des-tail-nation, nya," the Palico called from the front of the ship. The muscular pilot grunted in confirmation, and the small airship began to descend. Looking over the railing at the city, Valentina felt a rush of emotion. To be home again after being stranded in the forest felt like a miracle. From the balloon's position, she could spot many of her favorite parts of the city: the marketplace bazaar, several restaurants, the large Guild Hall, and the small cluster of hunters' houses. It was noon, and she could see the citizens moving about their daily business as usual. Far away, on the other side of the entire city, the ocean glistened in the sunshine. Indeed, it was somewhat of a port city, as the ocean surrounded it on one side and grassy fields surrounded all other sides without walls, an indicator of the relative peace around the area. It was home.

As the balloon floated closer to the ground, a small crowd of people standing near the airship field caught Valentina's eye. They all seemed to be looking up at her. She smiled slightly and took a deep, meditative breath.

"Something wrong?" Cierro asked as he shakily began to stand. He glanced over at the crowd. "...What is that?"

She beamed at him. "Oh, nothing. Just stay a bit behind me at first, okay?"

He looked at her skeptically but said nothing as the balloon landed on the grass with a soft thump.

"Nya! We have arrived! Purr-lease watch your step as you exit the aircraft." Opening the basket door, the Palico leaped out and began making his way to the Guild Hall, leaving the two to step out and close the door behind them. Immediately, the throng of people began moving toward the the pair.

"Uh, Valentina? Should I be worried?"

"Shh!" She put a finger over her lips. "Just stay behind me."

As the crowd came closer, the details became clearer. They all wore casual clothes, but the confident, deft way they moved made it clear that they were hunters. The first to reach the two was a teenage girl, no older than Valentina, who immediately leaped into her arms in a flying hug.

"Val! Where have you been?! Everyone's been so worried!"

Valentina laughed and hugged her back. "Sorry, sorry. I got lost."

"Don't do it again! Next time I'll go rescue you myself!" the girl cried.

The rest of the hunters surrounded Valentina.

"Yo, Val," said a cool-looking hunter with his arms crossed. "Glad you're back."

"We all thought you were in trouble," a meek-voiced boy piped up.

"Ha! Takes more than a failed quest to get rid of Valentina!" laughed an older-looking woman good-naturedly.

The rest of the hunters clamored to make their jubilation heard.

"What happened?"

"How'd you make it?"

"Failing a mining quest! That's classic!"

Valentina cheerily greeted everyone and assured them that she was fine. No one seemed to notice Cierro. As the hubbub quieted down, someone said, "Give her some room, everyone. She probably wants to go see Melia, so let's give them some time." There was a murmur of agreement, and the hunters began to disperse, occasionally giving Valentina a hug or a slap on the back. After the final "see you later", the two stood on the grass alone.

Valentina turned to Cierro, still smiling. "If you're going to be staying here, you should know that I'm kind of…"

"Popular?" he replied. "I guessed as much."

"Ehehe…" She grinned sheepishly. "Come on, follow me."

They made their way into the city, with her leading the way and Cierro trailing behind. Even though it had only been less than a day, Valentina still felt relieved to be back home. The blue and cloudless sky relaxed her further. Everyone was friendly; the passersby smiled as they walked past, and some hunters waved a greeting as they saw Valentina. She could hear Cierro marveling quietly at the sights of the city as they walked the bustling stone streets, passing shops, houses, and restaurants, among other buildings.

"So what's the plan?" asked Cierro, pulling up to walk alongside her after a few minutes. "You got an extra bunk or something?"

She smiled brightly at him. "If you're still good on your word, then yes, you'll stay with me. But we'll worry about the details later."

"Okay, so… what are we worrying about right now?"

Valentina stopped abruptly in front of a restaurant, causing Cierro to bump into her. The restaurant, _The Gargwa's Nest_ , was a small bistro with an outdoor sitting area; the place where her anniversary date would have happened. The seats were mostly empty, except for one table. Sitting there, fast asleep, was a certain purple-haired young woman wearing a familiar white dress.

"The sixth deadly sin. Envy."

"What does that mea—" Cierro stopped and followed her gaze. "...Is that who I think it is?"

She looked at him intensely. "Stay here." After a brief hesitation, he nodded and leaned against a wall.

As she walked toward the table, her heart began to beat rapidly; it wasn't out of fear, but of amazement. Melia sat facedown on the stone table with her head in her arms. Elation and sorrow bubbled up inside of Valentina. Reaching her girlfriend, she looked down at her with a hundred questions floating around in her mind.

 _What is she doing here?_ she thought in disbelief. _And she's still wearing that dress…?_

A rather grumpy-looking Felyne wearing a small chef's hat shuffled up to Valentina and tapped her thigh with a wooden spoon.

"Nya, are you Miss Valentina?" he asked flatly.

She blinked. "Um, yes. Can I help you?"

"You sure can. Your girl-furr-end has been sitting here since yesterday evening; wouldn't move until 'Valentina comes, I know she's coming'. Didn't order anything, neither. Meow, if you two could leave, it would be most a-purr-eciated." He trudged away grumbling.

Valentina looked back at Melia, her heart swelling with emotion. Taking a seat next to the sleeping huntress, she lowered her head until they were at eye level.

"Hey, Mel," she whispered, smiling. "Melia, wake up. Meliaaa..." When she didn't respond, Valentina contemplated for a second before clearing her throat and saying loudly, "What's that? You say _you're_ the best insect glaive hunter in this city?"

Melia stirred. "Hell yeah I am…" she mumbled blearily. After a few seconds, her eyes flew open, and she straightened up quickly, taking in her surroundings, before finally focusing on the huntress next to her.

"Tina!" she gasped. "You're alive!" She grasped for Valentina's hands as if to make sure she was real.

Valentina smiled brightly. "Of course I am, silly. You didn't think I could survive a night in the forest?"

"Of course not!"

"Hey!"

"That doesn't matter. You're back!" Melia leaned over and hugged her tightly. Then she pulled back and gave her a look that made Valentina's blood chill. "I told you something would happen. What did I tell you?"

Valentina looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!"

"You know, I waited _all night_ for you."

"I know, I'm really sorry, but—"

Melia crossed her arms and huffed. "Whatever. We'll discuss our date later. I want to know exactly what happened in that forest."

Keeping her gaze downward, Valentina recounted the events: how Genprey harassed her, how her map was stolen, and the long walk for help only to discover…

"A camp?" Melia was leaning forward, intrigued. "Was someone there?"

"Well…" Valentina decided there was no point in hiding it, and turned around, meeting Cierro's gaze. He nodded, and began to walk over. "...Someone needed more help than I did."

Melia stared at Cierro as he took a seat across from her. "Hello," she said cautiously.

"Hey. You must be Melia," he replied, extending his hand. When she didn't move, he retracted it and twiddled his thumbs. "Valentina saved me out in that forest. Maybe don't be so hard on her."

Melia stared at him tensely and didn't respond. Valentina, sensing her displeasure, gripped her hand tighter.

"Relax, Mel! I'll explain everything." She proceeded to tell about how the camp was destroyed, and how Cierro's partner fled, and how they agreed to help each other for a while.

" _Help_ each other? Who even are you, anyway?" Melia asked warily, still keeping her eyes on the researcher.

Cierro sighed and looked at Valentina, who gave him an assuring nod in response. He then swept the hair from his forehead and replaced his glasses, looking at Melia with sharp eyes, and said quietly, "My name is Cierro. I'm an ex-res—"

She gasped angrily. "I know who you are! You're that criminal researcher from the Wycademy!"

Valentina was perplexed. "Mel, how did you know—"

"Oh, please! Every hunter knows who he is. His picture is all over the Guild Hall quest board!" Melia stood up aggressively, slamming her hands on the table. "If you did anything horrible to Tina, I swear… I ought to turn you in."

"First of all, I didn't do anything to your girlfriend. And second, I'd like to see you try," he replied coolly. He took off his glasses and replaced his bangs. "I'm known as a master of disguise. Nobody'll believe you."  
"You son of a…"

"Calm down, please!" Valentina pleaded. "Melia, Cierro said that if I help him continue his research, he'll find me the fastest way to get to G-rank!"

"G—" Melia stopped and looked at her. "G-rank?"

"Yes, G-rank," she soothed, pulling her back down to her seat. "We've been working toward it since we've known each other. Cierro says he knows people, being such a high authority figure and all. And I bet he could let you in on that, _couldn't he_?" She stared at Cierro forcefully.

"Really?" Melia seemed to have lost any sign of hostility, and sat looking dazed. "That… would be nice."

The researcher stared back with equal force. Then he relented and glanced at Melia. "Yes, it's true. But it's not as easy as I make it sound." He looked behind him before saying cautiously, "I can't talk about it here. It would be better if we were somewhere more private."

Valentina stood, pulling up Melia with her. "Come on. We're going to my house."

"Well, don't let me interrupt you two," said Cierro, raising his eyebrows.

The huntress blushed furiously and glared at him. "I was talking to you, too. Now follow me."

They departed from the restaurant through the stone streets of the city, weaving through the throngs of passerby. As they walked in silence, trying not to draw attention, Valentina could feel a pair of eyes watching them, though nobody seemed to be looking in their direction. She shrugged it off and continued walking.

—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—

"Home sweet home," sighed Valentina, opening the door to her house. The hunters' precinct was quiet, as most of the city's hunters were out on their quests. Ushering Melia and Cierro inside, she closed the door behind her and locked it.

"Nice place." Cierro glanced around, taking in the space. "You hunters have it quite well."

Valentina silently agreed. The Guild-issued hunter's houses were roomy and easily suited any hunter's needs. The front door led into the rectangular main room, with a kitchen in the far corner and sitting space taking up the rest of the room. Another door in the other corner opened to Valentina's bedroom, which held her various hunting equipment and, of course, her bed. She had never let any visitors inside—well, almost never.

Gesturing to some chairs, she said, "Have a seat, I'm going to get changed real quick." Her Rathian armor felt like an Arzuros sitting on her shoulders, having worn it for longer than anticipated. As they sat, Valentina crossed the room and slipped into her bedroom. She breathed a sigh of relief as she stripped off her armor, replacing it with a pair of shorts and a simple green tunic. As she changed, she noticed that her house Palico, Opal, was nowhere to be seen.

 _Probably out on a gathering quest or something_ , she shrugged. Stretching her shoulders, she neatly put away her equipment, hung up her bow, and slipped back into the main room, where a tense air greeted her. Melia and Cierro sat across from each other, both refusing to look at the other as the silence grew.

"Thanks for waiting, I guess." Valentina cleared her throat and sat next to Melia, who wrapped a protective arm around her side. Cierro grunted and crossed his arms, leaning back into his chair. "So what's the plan? If we keep you under cover and let you continue your research, how do you get us to G-rank?"

"Well—" Cierro scratched his head and looked away. "That's, uh—"

"What?" Melia cut him off. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

He responded by gripping his hands together tightly and saying nothing, looking at the floor.

"What is it?" prodded Valentina, leaning forward.

Standing up quickly, Cierro walked a few steps away and kept his back to the two girls, holding his hands behind his back.

"Well, uh— there's something that I haven't told you," he spoke to the wall. "But hear me out." As they waited for him to continue, he took a deep breath. "I know I've been saying big things, but— well, I— _technically_ —can't get you into G-rank."

A stunned silence followed his words. Melia leapt up furiously.

"What?!" she growled. "You lied to Tina so she would save your ass?" She took a few menacing steps toward the researcher. "Get out."

Cierro didn't move. "I said, hear me out."

"I don't need to hear shit!" snarled Melia. "You're a criminal and a liar. I can't believe I fell for it."

Watching the two standing, Valentina felt dazed. How could she be so clueless? There was a wanted man standing in her house who just claimed that he had lied to her, and she had trusted him. She shook her head. There was something more. Standing up slowly and keeping her eyes on the floor, she grasped Melia's hand, who stood protectively in front of her.

"Tina, this is what happens when you trust strangers," she said harshly. "I bet his name isn't even—"

"No." Valentina's voice was quiet. Addressing Cierro's back, she said, "Keep talking."

"Thank you," he replied. "Like I said, it's not as easy as I made it sound. You two don't understand the internal mechanisms of the Guild like I do." He turned around and looked at them with piercing eyes.

"The reason you can't get into G-rank is because there _is_ no G-rank."

End of Chapter 3

 **Author's Note: I'm going on vacation for two weeks, so updates will be delayed.**


	4. Slippery Sea Snake Surprise

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay.**

Chapter 4

A stunned silence filled the room. The air was charged with a spark of confusion. Valentina quickly looked at Melia, who scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Of course there's a G-rank," she said, perplexed. "You're messing with us. You think just cause you were affiliated with the Guild means…" Melia trailed off as Cierro furrowed his brow and tightened his lips. "Means… you're… serious."

He nodded, clearly piecing together how he would explain. Valentina looked at him worriedly. "Serious? Serious about what? What does that even mean? 'There is no G-rank'? I know hunters who _live_ here that are G-rank, we could—"

"When was the last time you saw them?" Cierro asked quietly.

"H-huh?"

"Your G-rank friends. They've been gone for a while, haven't they?"

She stared at him. "Well— yeah, but I thought they went on an expedition or something. How did you even know—"

He held up a hand, silencing her. "What I'm about to say, I'll make it short. I hate monologues anyway."

Melia and Valentina exchanged quick glances, but stayed silent, wanting to hear what Cierro had to say.

He sighed. "A couple weeks back. I was still at the Wycademy when I overheard a couple of my higher-ups gossiping around a corner, which, by the way, is strictly against the rules."

Valentina made a face. "Gossiping?"

"Yeah, whatever, doesn't matter. They were talking about recent events happening at the Guild. I remember one of them saying, 'I totally lost my eraser yesterday. Any chance I could borrow yours?'"

"Is that really relevant at all?" asked Melia.

"Then the other said, 'Speaking of erasing, did you hear that the Guild erased G-rank from all of their records?'"

"Ah, it's relevant."

"I snuck into some documents, and found out it was true. The Guild got rid of all records of G-rank quests, hunters, you name it. I'm guessing if you went to your Quest Counter right now and asked for a G-rank quest, you'd get a look like this." Cierro crossed his eyes and tilted his head, his mouth hanging open.

"What are you saying?" Valentina gripped Melia's hand, anticipating the answer. Whatever he said, it wouldn't be good.

"I'm saying," Cierro adjusted his glasses, "that according to the Guild, G-rank does not exist. Never has, never will."

"That's impossible." Melia crossed her arms. "What possible reason could they have to do that?"

He chuckled. "That's exactly what I want to know. And that's what I'll need your help with."

"Our… help?"

"I'm not a hunter. You two are. And that brings me back to why I'm here. By allowing me to stay here, undercover, we can get to the bottom of this together. Scratch each other's backs, you know?" Cierro extended his hand.

Melia grimaced. "I hate that phrase. And like hell Tina's going to keep someone like you in her—"

"I'll do it."

"Okay." Melia turned to face her, hands on her hips. Valentina stood her ground, determined. "Why do you trust him so much? You don't know what guys are like."

She shook her head. "That doesn't matter to me. He helped me, and I'm not going to abandon him. I've gotten us mixed up in this mess, and it's too important to back out now. I want to know what happened to G-rank. Don't you?"

"But—" Melia started.

"And besides," Valentina lowered her voice and stepped forward until the two girls were inches apart, "I don't need to worry about him doing anything weird when I've got you to protect me. Right?" She knew that Melia's affection for her girlfriend was one of her few weaknesses.

Melia sighed, frustrated, but nodded. "Sure, fine. Whatever."

"Plus, it'll be fun!"

"Yeah, right."

Cierro cleared his throat. "So, we're agreed then? My arm is getting tired."

"Sure are. You stay with me and do your… um, _research_ , and in return, we find out what happened to G-rank. And my friends." Valentina shook his hand. "Together. And we'll bring both of them back."

Cierro raised an eyebrow. "Whoa. We'll see about that."

They broke the handshake, and Valentina felt the familiar sense of adventure rising up within her. Every day was a new day, but this seemed especially exciting.

"So." Melia tapped her foot. "What do we do first?"

"For now, leave me to myself." The researcher looked around the space. "I have some things to figure out, and I want to get familiar with this place. Find my way around the city. I'll find you when I discover something."

Valentina grumbled as she and Melia stepped outside, closing the door. "I can't believe I'm getting kicked out of my own home."

It was a few hours after noon, and the air was pleasantly warm. In the distance, the bustling sound of the marketplace drifted through the air. Stretching, she breathed deeply, once again taking in the atmosphere.

"We have some free time, I guess. It's my day off, after all," said Melia. "And I'm guessing you're not really up to much either."

"I suppose not," replied Valentina, tilting her head. "Did you have something in mind?"

"We never got to finish our anniversary." Melia took her by the hand and pulled her along. "Let's go to the docks."

"Hey, wait! Don't pull so hard…!"

* * *

"Wow…"

The two stood on a stone walkway at the water's edge, taking in the ocean. Valentina breathed deeply. The lively sounds and smells of the seaside market were always calming. Behind them, passersby passed by on their daily business. Sailors and fishmongers shouted to each other as boats pulled in and out of the port. The ocean glittered in the sunlight, casting bright reflections onto the white buildings. It was all very pleasing to witness.

"So." Melia's voice brought her out of her reverie. Valentina looked down to see her sitting, dangling her legs over the water, and hastened to do the same. "G-rank, huh?"

"You heard him," nodded Valentina. "You believe it, right?"

"Well lately, I've had a hard time believing a lot of things," she replied, lowering her eyes to the water. "Like promises."

Valentina felt a pang of guilt through her heart. "Oh come on. None of that. I'm really sorry, you know?" When there was no response, she use a hand to guide Melia's face upward and looked directly into her eyes. "I prom— I guarantee that I'll make it up to you. For real."

Melia sighed and began to respond, and at that moment loud yells came from a nearby dock.

"Help! They're tearin' up the cargo!"

"Damn it! We need hunters!"

"It got me! It got me!"

The two huntresses sprang up and looked toward the commotion. Blurs of green and yellow scrambled around a raft, where some sailors were trying to fend the monsters off. The water splashed loudly as more jumped from the water, and bystanders tripped over themselves trying to get away.

"Ludroth! Someone do something!"

"Where are all the hunters?!"

"Melia, let's go!" Valentina reached for her weapon but grasped at air. "Ah."

"The one time we're not equipped!" seethed Melia. "Whatever, we'll improvise!" She ran toward the ruckus with Valentina right behind her.

One of the sailors spotted them approaching and waved his arm. "Get back! It's dangerous!" he shouted, and toppled to the ground as a Ludroth leaped on him. Yells filled the air, and some of the sailors turned to flee as they were slowly overpowered by the scaly leviathans.

Valentina watched as Melia, without breaking her stride, scooped up an abandoned knife and seized a stray pot lid. She banged them together, shouting, "Well? Come on, then!"

Several Ludroth turned to her and hissed, buying time for the rest of the fishermen and sailors to escape. Melia stood on the dock facing the Ludroth, who snapped at her menacingly. She looked over her shoulder and asked, "Tina, you gonna help or what?" Dodging a bite from a Ludroth, she rolled her shoulders and charged toward the monsters.

Valentina grasped at the air, unsure of what to do. "Uh, uh…" She scurried over to a nearby weapons stand as the sounds of combat resonated behind her. Pointing to a basic hunter's bow and a quiver of arrows, she asked the cowering shopkeeper, "How much?"

"Wha—" The old man looked at her, startled. "Fif-fifteen hundred zenny."

"One second." Valentina retrieved her coin purse and flinched as a dead Ludroth slammed into the front of the wooden stand.

"Fuckin' Ludroth!" Melia shouted in the distance.

"You show 'em, babe!" Valentina yelled back. Counting out her change, she placed the money on the counter and grabbed the weapons. "Thank you!"

"Thanks for your business…" the old man mumbled as she dashed off to help Melia.

The huntress was slashing away at the Ludroth. Knocking one away with her makeshift shield, she sliced at another and kicked it into the water. Valentina let loose arrow after arrow, bringing down several of the scaly monsters and wounding others, forcing them to retreat. After a fierce minute of fighting, only one Ludroth remained on the dock, and as Melia turned to face it, it leaped at her, maw wide open.

"Look out!" Valentina quickly stretched her bowstring and fired, but the arrow flew short of its target, and both Melia and Ludroth went tumbling into the water. "Melia!"

Valentina dropped her bow and sprinted to the spot where they had fallen. The surface of the water splashed loudly as the two fought; however, the Ludroth was in its element, and it darted around Melia, who struggled to find her bearings in the water.

"Melia!" Valentina shouted. "You can do it!"

"Could you not?!" she sputtered back. "Help me up!"

"I don't want to get my shirt wet!"

"Not the time for that, Tina!"

 _BANG!_

A loud blast came from the shore, and the Ludroth floated to the surface, dead. Melia breathed a sigh of relief and glared at Valentina, who looked away. Helping Melia out of the water, she glanced at the shore, where a small crowd of bystanders stood around a masked hunter holding a heavy bowgun.

"Guess that's our savior," Melia sighed. She looked down at her soaked dress and cursed quietly. "Fucking hell…"

Valentina knitted her eyebrows worriedly. "Are you okay? It's not like you to get hit like that."

"I'm fine," was Melia's short reply. Valentina blinked but decided not to press further. The two walked back across the dock, which was littered with dead Ludroth. As they approached, the masked hunter greeted them with a small wave. The hunter was rather short, about a head below Valentina, and their bright-red Rathalos armor gleamed dully in the sunlight.

Melia crossed her arms. "Hey, thanks for the assist back there."

"Don't sweat it!" The hunter's voice had a sing-song lilt to it. Valentina recognized it as a woman's voice. "There were people making a ruckus about needing hunters at the dock, so I thought I'd try to help out. See you!" She ran back into the heart of the city.

"Wha— wait!" Valentina stretched out her hand but dropped it quickly.

"I get the feeling we'll see more of… whoever that is." Melia placed a hand on her hip. "Seems like a nice person."

"Came right in time, too!" boomed a grinning sailor. "Those damned Ludroth didn't stand a chance!"

"...Right." Valentina looked around. "By any chance, does anyone know what made those Ludroth attack?"

"I do," came a voice from the back of the crowd. An elderly woman pushed to the front, dragging a young man by the scruff of his shirt. "This boy here tripped and dropped the meat he was carrying right into the water! Musta' stirred up them Ludroths' appetites something fierce."

The young man pulled away from the woman's grip and straightened himself up. "It wasn't my fault! How was I supposed to know that would attract those monsters?"

Valentina scrutinized him closely. He was around the same age as her and Melia, and slightly taller. A simple brown shirt hung on his shoulders. His wavy brown hair framed his freckled face, and although he carried himself like a hunter, didn't have much muscle mass to speak of. As if he hadn't hunted anything his whole life…

She tapped on his shoulder, making him flinch and spin around defensively. "Sorry, but I didn't get your name."

"Why do you want to know?"

Melia pulled out a small card carved from bone. "See this Guild Card? We're Guild hunters. We need to document any monster attacks, including anyone involved. We don't know if you were purposefully trying to incite a monster attack on the city, but we could always take you in…"

Valentina suppressed a giggle. She knew everything Melia just said was made up, but didn't interject. Instead, she nodded and crossed her arms.

The young man looked at them both and paled. "Sorry, I didn't know. Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

 _But that was the first thing she said…_ thought Valentina.

Melia raised her eyebrows. "So, can I get your name?"

He nodded and cleared his throat. "Yeah, sorry. My name is Scoot. I used to work as a hunter for the Wycademy."

End of Chapter 4


	5. The Researcher's Assistant

Chapter 5

* * *

 _ **(FLASHBACK START)**_

"This damned forest…" Cierro grumbled as he pushed his way through the foliage. "Too much wildlife. I like peace and quiet now and then, you know?" He stopped and fumbled with his long lab coat as it snagged on a branch. Dim sunlight shone through the canopy of leaves above, and the sound of the local wildlife was all around.

"Well, it's not named the Primal Forest for nothing," replied Scoot, lifting a large leaf out of his way. Cierro sighed and looked back at his assistant, who was glancing around absentmindedly.

"Keep moving." The researcher dusted off his coat and continued walking.

It had been only a few days since Cierro had gone into hiding in the forest from the Wycademy. Although it was similar to a unnecessarily long camping trip, the Primal Forest provided decent field research materials to keep him and his assistant busy while they thought of a plan. It wasn't to Cierro's taste however; he detested living primitively, and wistfully yearned for the now-apparent luxury of working for the Wycademy.

His thoughts were interrupted with the sound of glass shattering. He turned around as a bright light flashed, momentarily blinding him.

"Wha— for fuck's sake, Scoot!" Cierro staggered in place. "Don't drop those phials!"

"Sorry." Scoot shook his head, similarly blinded. "I don't have to pay for that, right?" He shifted his arm, causing the glass phials he was carrying to clink together. Each phial housed a different small insect, each of which Cierro had planned to experiment with.

"Ugh." Cierro cleared the spots of light from his vision and knelt down to examine the broken glass. "I really needed that Flashbug, too."

"Well, look on the bright side!" Scoot faltered as Cierro shot him a deadly glare.

"Har, har." He stood back up. "I hope you step on it."

The two walked for a few more minutes until they reached their camp. It was situated in a small clearing, but it was suitable for the researcher's needs: a tent, a fire pit, a table, and an item chest. Cierro began to prep his research table as Scoot dumped the remaining phials into a bowl and sat on a nearby stump.

"I don't have anything else I need your help with, so do whatever for now." Cierro told Scoot. He sat at his table and began to sketch some experimental blueprints.

Scoot stretched. It had been a long day of bug-catching for both of them. "So. When are you going to make your breakthrough?"

"What?"

"You know. Every great scientist— sorry, _researcher_ , has that moment in their research when they discover the answer to all their questions. Like, _eureka_ , you know? I wonder when that'll happen for you."

Cierro grunted, focused on his research. "You know what I wonder? When you're going to make some new armor. You've been wearing that same Bherna set since you were assigned as my assistant. It's as basic as basic gets."

"Looks like we both have some unanswerable questions," replied Scoot simply.

Silence fell over both of them as Cierro began experimenting with his materials. The sun began to slowly move toward the horizon as the rest of the day passed. The sounds of the forest died down and were soon replaced with crickets. The sun began to set, turning the sky a neat violet. After Scoot's fourth Field Horn solo, Cierro decided that he'd been through enough torture and stood up.

"Let's start dinner," he said tersely.

"Sure thing." Scoot disappeared into the tent to retrieve a pot. As Cierro struck a match to light a fire, he began to wonder about their longevity of staying in the Forest.

"How much can I even get done out here?" he muttered. "I'm only in hiding because I have some unsavory Wycademy secrets…" His mind turned to the documents that he had managed to steal from the Wycademy's deepest archives, which he had yet to fully delve into. Something was holding him back; whether it was fear or something else, he didn't know.

"Then there's Scoot…" Cierro rolled his eyes when he thought of his assistant. Assigned to the researcher by the Wycademy, Scoot was a novice any way you looked at him. Beginner's armor, a beginner's weapon… Cierro doubted that he had ever even hunted anything before, and wondered what miracle had taken place to let him pass the Guild's hunting test. "Who knows how long he'll last out here."

At that moment, a powerful, distant roar ripped through the air, startling Cierro and making him drop his match. A loud clang came from the tent, and Scoot emerged, sweating and pale faced. Far above, birds flew away, similarly spooked.

"Did you hear that?" he asked shakily.

Cierro stared at him. "No, I didn't hear that. I forgot to tell you that I went fucking deaf."

"Okay, I get it. But what was that? It sounded far away."

The researcher pondered for a moment. "Sounded like a large Wyvern monster. A Rathalos, or a Tigrex. Well, whatever." He struck another match to light the campfire.

"Hu— huh?" Scoot shifted his shoulders, where a Charge Blade rested on his back. "Uh. Shouldn't we, like, be worried about that? If a large monster came around here, I'm not sure I could…you know?"

"You need more confidence in yourself. And, like you said," Cierro stood up as the campfire began to crackle, "it's far away. Let's just assume that it's busy with something else and forget about it. Still got that pot?"

Scoot gulped but said nothing as he retrieved the pot and filled it with water before placing it over the fire. As they sat waiting, Cierro looked up and noticed the sun was gone. The sky was littered with twinkling lights, like a city on the night of a festival. He had always respected the stars, but was too absorbed with his work on the ground to fully appreciate them. He glanced over at Scoot, who was sitting with his eyes closed and fists clenched.

"You good, Scoot?"

"Yeah, sorry. Just… can't get that monster off my mind."

"You're a hunter. However small my faith in you may be, I'm still sure that you can take care of a monster or two."

Scoot shifted uncomfortably. "Uh. About that. There's something I should tell you."

A twig snapped somewhere in the darkness. Cierro was instantly alert, shooting up to his feet. He scanned the dark trees and hissed to Scoot,

"Get up! There's something here."

Scoot's weapon rattled as he slowly stood, shaking. The two of them stared as a Genprey slowly emerged from the darkness of the trees. It stared back at them and hissed menacingly, edging closer. The gears in Cierro's mind whirred.

"That's weird…" he muttered. "This part of the forest is supposed to be mostly uninhabited. What is this Genprey doing here…?"

Steel slithered against steel as Scoot slowly unsheathed his sword from the inside of his shield. His Charge Blade dully reflected the light from the campfire as he held the sword and shield loosely, eyes fixed on the approaching Genprey.

"I think it's a good time to tell you that I've, uh… never hunted a monster before."

"Excuse me?!"

The Genprey leaped, fangs bared, and slammed into Scoot's raised shield. The momentum sent the two toppling onto the ground as Scoot struggled to keep the monster at bay with his shield. Cierro stepped back in surprise.

"Ah, shit! It's on me!" The Genprey snapped at Scoot's head, trying to reach around the shield between them.

"You've never fucking hunt— what?!" Realizing the direness of the situation, Cierro scrambled to retrieve a knife from his research desk. He gripped it between his fingers and hurled it through the air, slicing the Genprey across the face. It screeched, and Scoot used the opportunity to shove it away, clambering to his feet. The Bird Wyvern hissed, baring its fangs, but seemed wary as it clawed the ground. "How the hell did you pass your hunter's test?"

Scoot was breathing heavily. "That's, uh, not important. What's important is that we get out of here."

"Sure, let me just get my _magical_ backpack that can pack up everything in a second! We can't leave!" Cierro spread his hands. "There's too much valuable research here. And it's a single Genprey! You can just kill it, can't you?"

The foliage rustled, and several more Genprey appeared, forming a semicircle around the two. Scoot dropped his sword in shock, and Cierro groaned in frustration.

"Where the hell'd they come from?" He glanced at Scoot, whose face was white as snow. Trembling, he turned to look at Cierro and gave an awkward chuckle.

"I—" He turned his heel and sprinted away into the dark forest. "I'm sorry!"

"Hey!" Cierro yelled after him. "Are you kidding me?!" He turned back to the Genprey, who sensed an opportunity and attacked. He yelped and dodged a flying leap from a Genprey. The other wyverns began to ravage the camp: knocking over tables, digging through chests, and ripping the tent apart. A sinking feeling gripped his heart.

"Shit, the Wycademy documents!" Cierro growled. Among the chaos, he bolted for the tent, dodging broken glass and angry Genprey. One bit at his leg and he went tumbling, careening shoulder-first into the campfire. " _Fuck_!" The heat wasn't immediate, and he leaped up, swatting at his scorched clothing.

"That wasn't so ba—uuughhh!" Cierro's jaw dropped as he looked up. His collision with the campfire had sent flaming chunks of wood onto the tent, which smoldered and then ignited. Within seconds it was a roaring blaze, casting bright reds and oranges onto the surrounding trees. "Son of a fucking—!"

He kicked a Genprey out of his way and grabbed a shard of glass from the ground. Tearing a hole into the tent, Cierro forced his way into the flaming canvas. The inside was extremely hot, and the researcher found it difficult to breathe. He darted his eyes around, spotting the satchel containing the Wycademy documents. As he desperately reached for the bag, a cracking sound erupted, and the tent collapsed onto him.

Cierro let out a stream of curses. He struggled against the canvas, but it burned everywhere he touched it. Tripping on the cloth, he fell backward and smacked his head on the solid ground. The noise of the Genprey and the fire sounded distant. His vision swam and began to fade.

"Gogdamn it, Scoot…"

 ** _(FLASHBACK END)_**

* * *

Cierro winced as he recalled that night. Even in the safety of Valentina's home, he couldn't stop thinking about it. It had been about an hour since Valentina and Melia went to the docks, and he had used the downtime to brainstorm a plan. He sighed, leaning back on a chair.

 _There has to have been something I could've done differently_ , he thought. _I don't think I can blame Scoot, as much as I should…_ His face hardened. _No, I can definitely blame him. He calls himself a hunter? I'd have a word with the Guild if I wasn't a wanted man…_

A loud knock on the door stirred him from his thoughts.

"Hello? Cierro? We're back!" Valentina's voice floated through the door. Cierro thought she sounded rather tense.

"Good timing," he replied. "I think I have a lead on what we're doing."

"Well, that's good," Melia called. "We just fought some Ludroth. Glad you had some nice thinking time." The door opened, and the girls stepped into the house. Melia's dress and hair were damp. She crossed her arms as Cierro stared at her.

"You reek of saltwater." He wrinkled his nose. "Did you jump in or something?"

"Well." Valentina looked nervous, fidgeting with her hands behind her back. "We fished up a little surprise for you, so to say."

Cierro glanced at the still-open door and froze. There, standing in the doorway, avoiding his gaze, was…

"Are you _fucking_ kidding me?"

End of Chapter 5


	6. Stop Crying and Get a Move On

Cierro gawked at Scoot, who fidgeted in the doorway and looked everywhere but at the researcher. Seeing the person who had abandoned him, who had left him for dead… Cierro wanted to feel angry. But at the same time, there was something wrong. He couldn't bring himself to get mad. Instead, he felt… strange. He tightened his lips and stood up, keeping his eyes on the hunter.

Valentina looked between them and seemed to understand something. She began to pull Melia by the hand.

"Come on Mel, I have something cool to show you."

"What? But I've already seen everything in your room."

"Don't argue!" The two disappeared into Valentina's room, leaving Cierro and his assistant alone in the main room.

Scoot closed the door sheepishly and finally made eye contact with Cierro. Neither spoke, until Scoot opened his mouth to say nervously,

"So, wonderful weather we're having."

Cierro seized a pillow and hurled it at Scoot. It struck him chest with a soft thump and landed on the floor.

"You fucking dumbass!" Cierro took a volatile step forward. "You— you— I can't believe—" He grasped at his hair, searching for the right words to express his emotion.

Scoot held up his hands in a "stop right there" gesture. "Listen, Cierro," he said cautiously. "You have every right to be angry with me. I shouldn't have abandoned you in that forest. I have never felt more sorry about anything in my life."

Cierro took another step forward and thrust his finger at Scoot. "I bet you do! And then you have the _fucking nerve_ to come— to come all this way—" His breath hitched as Scoot widened his eyes.

"You've, uh… got something on your face, there." He pointed at his own cheek.

Cierro quickly brought his hand to his face and was shocked to see that it came back wet. His cheeks were streaming with tears. His heart ached, and he gripped his chest, staring at the ground.

"What— what the hell is happening?" he sputtered. "Am I dying?"

Scoot sighed and raised his eyebrows slyly. "I believe it's called: feeling relief to see your friend alive and well."

"My— my friend…" Cierro rolled the word around in his mind. "I was… worried about you…?"

"Shit, man," Scoot scratched his head. "I was worried about you too. I'm glad you're alive. I had hoped you wouldn't be too mad at me, if we met again."

Cierro turned around, so Scoot wouldn't see him wiping his eyes. "You don't even know. You're a real bastard, you know that?"

For as long as he could remember, Cierro had never cried. His emotions were unimportant to his work, and as such he had discarded them long ago. Growing up, through his education, and at the Wycademy, he avoided making long-term friends. His companionship with Scoot was the first of its kind. Now…

"You owe me," Cierro said firmly, whipping around to look at Scoot. "You owe me a lot."

Scoot looked at the ceiling. "Yeah, I suppose I do. It's not like I've got much to do as an exile from the Wycademy." He cracked his knuckles. "I'm in."

"In on… what? I haven't even said anything."

"You're still doing your research, right? Well, you haven't fired me as your assistant yet." Scoot glanced at the door to Valentina's room, which was slightly ajar. "Plus, your friends told me about your idea to find out what happened to G-rank. I'm in."

Cierro glared at the door, where he could see Valentina and Melia peeking at them through the crack. "Lovely. I'm glad I have colleagues that can keep a secret."

The door opened, and Valentina immediately leaped out of the room and onto Scoot, pulling him into a squeezing hug.

"Scoot!" she cried passionately. "I knew you weren't a bad guy! I just knew it!"

Melia stepped out of the room as well, sporting a clean blouse and shorts. She crossed her arms and looked at Cierro. "It's not like Scoot is some stranger. He's your assistant, and he's a hunter like us. We thought it would be a good idea to bring him in on it."

Cierro looked back and forth, from Melia's determined expression to Scoot trying to push Valentina away. "I see you're already well acquainted." He sighed. "Then I guess we have no choice. Let's get started."

~—~—~—~—~

Valentina stared aimlessly through the window, zoning out. White clouds drifted lazily through the sky. She held a hand up, imagining what it would be like to fly freely like a bird. Behind her, Melia's voice strayed her from her thoughts.

"Tina? You paying attention?"

"Hmm?" She turned her head to see the others gathered around the table, giving her strange looks. They had been discussing what to do first for a few minutes, and Valentina had spaced out.

"I was saying," Cierro reminded her sternly, "that before we can do anything G-rank, we have to take care of everything that comes before it." He pointed to some scribbled writing on one of his papers. "As you guys know, there are eight hunter ranks before you're qualified for G-rank. It doesn't sound important, but getting through these ranks will probably help us find some important details. What ranks are you three?"

Melia thought for a moment. "I'm Rank 6, I'm pretty sure."

"Me too," said Valentina, pulling out her Guild Card to double check.

"That's good," Cierro nodded. "Less work is always nice to hear. Scoot?" He turned to his assistant. "What about you?"

Valentina glanced at Scoot as well and was taken aback to see him smiling nervously. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"Uh." He held up his Guild Card to show a single star. "Rank 1."

Cierro slapped his palm to his forehead. "That explains so much," he muttered.

"You're not seriously telling me that we have to carry Scoot all the way through the ranks," said Melia, rubbing her temples.

"Unfortunately." Cierro stood and gathered the papers scattered across the table. "Until Scoot is caught up with you two, there's not a lot he can do to help us."

Valentina jumped up, excited. "Well, what are we waiting for?" she exclaimed. "The Guild Hall awaits!"

~—~—~—~—~

 **Somewhere, deep within the Guild…**

Heels clacked against marble as a young woman made her way down a long hallway. She breathed nervously, clutching a binder and some documents. Reaching the end of the hallway, she adjusted her bright red hair, tied back in a tight bun, and opened the large door, stepping cautiously inside. The large, round, windowless chamber was shrouded in darkness, with a single unlit lantern hanging from the ceiling. Even the light from the hallway barely made a difference. The woman gulped and announced,

"S—sir? A report."

A deep voice came from the pitch black. "I do not like to be disturbed during my work. You of all people should know that, Ms. Secretary."

"Eep!" The secretary jumped, unable to locate the direction of the voice as it echoed all around the chamber. She breathed deeply and said, "Sir, it's important. Ev—ever since the shutdown of G-rank quests, more and more people have been sus—suspicious of the Guild's actions." She shivered and continued, "Furthermore, the amount of hunters attempting to uncover the Guild's motives is— is increasing."

"Yes, that sounds like a problem, doesn't it?" The voice sighed dismissively. "No matter. Let the people think what they want. But, what is this news about hunters you bring me?"

"Um…" The secretary wiped her brow. "Like I said, sir, a group of hunters have been… investigating, so to say. They want to know why G-rank has been… abolished."

"Well now." The voice turned malicious. "It sounds like a couple of bugs have entered the system. Luckily for us, we have an expert flyswatter… don't we, Ms. Secretary?"

She widened her eyes. "Do you mean… me, sir?" she asked weakly, pointing to herself.

"Of course. Take care of our little bug problem, won't you? Just like the G-rank hunters. Make them… disappear."

She looked down. "Y—yes, sir."

"Excellent. Now, leave me. I am ever so busy with my work."

The secretary bowed and walked quickly out of the room. Closing the door, she let out a deep exhale and slid down against the wall, hugging her knees.

"Someone help me…" she whispered feebly.

End of Chapter 6

 **Author's Note: Shorter chapter. I've started school again, so updates will /probably/ be less frequent than before. Thanks for the follows and favorites, and reviews are appreciated.**


	7. Fate Awaits

**Author's Note: Shout out to user Declanis for a great first review.**

The Guild Hall. Located on a hill at the head of the city, it was the most popular and well-known building in the area. Being a branch of the Hunter's Guild, it had similar locations in many other cities, and they all served the same purpose: a meeting place for Guild hunters to take on quests, whether it be gathering materials in dangerous places or hunting threatening monsters. A hub of sorts, some hunters simply met there to hang out and celebrate particularly successful hunts. As a result, it was open all day and lit up all night, busy and bustling. A beacon of adventure, shining at the peak of the hill.

After agreeing to help Scoot increase his hunter rank, the group had done some quick shopping, purchasing him a relatively new set of Ingot armor, as well as basic hunting supplies. Now well into the afternoon, the hunters and researcher stood at the base of the single flight of stairs that led to the Guild Hall, geared up with their weapons and armor. White, solid limestone, easily spanning over 200 steps, the stairs loomed dauntingly over the four as they looked up.

Valentina gazed at the Guild Hall with a loving smile. The red and white building was like a second home to her; if she had to guess, she had spent more time inside than actually embarking on quests. The commotion, the warmth, the raucous laughter, it all swirled around in her head, forming some of her most pleasant memories. It also marked the place where she and Melia had met. She hopped excitedly and turned to her companions, eyes sparkling.

"Let's go! Quests wait for no one!"

"Question." Scoot held up a finger, looking defeated. "Why the fuck are there so many _stairs_?" The sunlight reflected harshly off of his metallic armor, and Valentina thought she could see heat waves radiating from him.

Cierro sucked in his breath. "Well, good luck with that." He began to walk quickly away, but sputtered as Melia grabbed the back of his lab coat's collar.

"Where do you think you're going?" She smirked. "Oh, I see. You just don't want anyone to see you with the new disguise that Tina bought you."

Cierro fumed and clutched the edge of the over-large sombrero he wore. "This isn't a disguise, it's a disgrace. How am I supposed to get any research done with this on?" He crossed his arms as passersby pointed and giggled. "Being arrested is the least of my worries."

"You're not coming with us?" Valentina frowned, surprised. "I thought you'd jump at the chance for some field research."

"Good one," he said darkly. He sighed. "I thought you'd've figured it out by now, guys. I'm not much help in the field. If anything, I'll probably get in the way. That's why it's best if you go on these quests without me. I only came here to see you off." He turned and walked back toward the hunters' district. Valentina and Scoot looked at each other as Melia stepped forward.

"That wasn't the deal," she said coldly. "The deal was we don't turn you in, and you help us figure out what happened to G-rank."

Cierro stopped and returned her icy gaze. "I _am_ helping you. By not endangering myself going out on quests. I'm more useful to you alive than dead."

"Um, he's right." Scoot's voice echoed from inside his metal helmet. "Not to sound like an asshole or anything, but Cierro's not a hunter. I mean, I'm barely a hunter myself. So… yeah." His armor clanked as he stretched his shoulders. "Could we get going? It feels like the Yukumo hot springs in here."

Valentina looked between the three people. Sparks of tension seemed to emanate from Cierro and Melia, and she decided to intervene. She grabbed Melia's hand and steered her toward the Guild Hall, calling back to Cierro,

"We're going now, Cierro! See you in a bit!" She flashed her brightest smile and began to climb the stairs, with Melia in tow and Scoot following closely behind. Cierro held up a parting hand and turned back around, walking into the stream of passersby. His sombrero bobbed through the crowd and was soon gone.

Valentina felt Melia shake off her hand stubbornly, and turned to find a troubled expression on her girlfriend's face.

"So, what? He's going to sit around while we go get our hands dirty?" Melia hissed, making a face. "That's not very fair."

Valentina shook her head and shrugged. "He's not going to sit around, Mel. He'll probably do some more investigating. Or research. Well, as much as he can, that is. In the meantime, all we can do is help out Scoot a little bit."

Melia looked down as she climbed the white stairs. "But, still…"

Valentina looked at her and smiled widely, understanding. "Ah, I get it. He'll be fine, Mel. An ex-Wycademy researcher knows how to take care of himself. You worry about your friends too much."

"I—" Melia whipped her face up, shocked and pink-faced. "He is _not_ my friend, okay?" Valentina giggled as the purple-haired huntress stomped ahead of her. Melia's Insect Glaive, forged from Nargacuga parts, thumped against her matching armor as she stormed brusquely along.

After a few minutes of intense climbing, the two huntresses reached the top of the stairs. Before them stood the magnificent Guild Hall. Even in the afternoon, the lanterns outside were lit to welcome hunters inside. Through the doorless entrance drifted the sounds of conversation, laughter, and silverware against plates.

Valentina turned around and breathed deeply. From the top of the hill was a breathtaking view of the city. The buildings sprawled into the distance, and to the right, the ocean looked almost infinite. Down below, the crawling population looked to be the size of Altaroth. A light breeze tousled Valentina's hair. She never got tired of the trek up to the Guild Hall; it was always worth it. Even Melia seemed to be cheered up from her standoff with Cierro.

"Well, _shall we_?" She enthusiastically gestured to the open entrance. As the two walked inside, Valentina looked behind her.

"Where's Scoot?" she asked.

Melia waved her hand. "Still climbing the stairs or something. Come on."

Entering the Guild Hall, Valentina happily looked around the familiar space. It was fairly large, easily able to accommodate a hundred moving bodies. The red wood floor was well worn, but sturdy. Although torches and candles were scattered around the hall, the biggest source of light came from an enormous chandelier hung in the middle. It cast a bright orange-and-yellow glow over the entire hall.

To the left of the entrance was the Quest Counter, where hunters accepted quests from the Guild and citizens alike. It was manned by a few smiling Guild ladies. To the right was the canteen, an eating place for hunters to fill up before embarking on hunts. At several long tables sat about a dozen hunters eating and drinking. As Valentina glanced over, a hunter noticed her and put down his drink, grinning.

"Hey everybody, it's Valentina! And Melia, too!"

"AYYY!" The rest of the hunters turned and waved furiously in their direction. Valentina smiled nervously and waved back, whispering to Melia,

"Could you go talk with them without me? I'm going to check what quest we need to do first."

Melia groaned slightly. "Fine, but be quick. These people always make me uncomfortable." She shook out her arms and walked over to the tables. Valentina turned and headed in the opposite direction, toward the Quest Counter.

* * *

Seeing Melia approach, the hunter who had called everybody's attention scooted over on his bench to make room. Melia had glimpsed him around the Guild Hall before but didn't really recognize him.

"Hey, Melia! What's crackin'?" He made a hand sign that she didn't recognize.

She shrugged, taking the seat next to him. "Not much, really." The hunter stared at her as she called over a chef Felyne and placed an order. When the Felyne scurried off, Melia glanced at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The hunter shrugged. "Nothin', man. I was just wonderin'. About, you know, stuff."

"Oh?" Melia tried her hardest to sound interested. Guys bored her a lot, but she knew it was important to have a decent reputation among the Guild hunters.

"Like… how lucky you gotta feel to date Valentina, you know? I mean, she's just…" He made a circle with his thumb and finger and whistled.

Melia looked at him, slightly annoyed. "Yeah. Real lucky." She turned to look straight ahead, but he kept talking.

"So, like, how did you guys meet? That's gotta be a good story."

"Why do you want to know?" she shot at him.

He shrugged again. "Just… makin' conversation, man."

She gave a short sigh. "We met here, in the Guild Hall. She was looking for quest mates, and I helped her out. Saved her life." She looked at him to signal the end of the story.

The hunter blinked, and grinned. "Wow. What a ride, dude."

Across the table, a female hunter slid the length of the bench until she was opposite Melia. She leaned in and whispered, "You know, I think it's really brave that you and Valentina are together, even when you're working for the Guild." She glanced around furtively.

Melia smiled confusedly at her. "What… are you talking about?" she asked in the politest tone she could muster. She didn't really recognize this hunter either.

The male hunter looked surprised. "You been together a year and you still dunno? And I thought I was oblivious." He thought for a second. "Wait, am I?"

"The Guild has a strict no-dating policy among all its hunters," the female hunter said quietly. "They say it gets in the way of… productivity? So good on you two for sticking through it!" She winked and gave a thumbs-up.

Melia gave a nervous chuckle. "Wha— I don't understand. Why hasn't the Guild said or done anything if dating is prohibited?"

The female hunter considered for a moment. "Well…" She held out her last syllable thoughtfully. "Us hunters are really the only ones who know you two are together. The Guild probably think you two are just really good friends. You know, both of you being, uh…" She glanced at Melia's chest.

Melia rolled her eyes. "Well, fantastic. Can we drop it, please?" She crossed her arms and huffed. The female hunter shrugged and slid back to her original seat, while the male hunter decided that the bottom of his tankard had suddenly become very interesting. Melia's spirits were lifted slightly as her food was delivered by a chef Felyne. She searched her thoughts as she ate.

It hadn't always bothered her that people asked about Valentina whenever they spoke to her. She used to think it was rather flattering. But as time progressed, and her girlfriend came up in every single conversation, Melia began to dread talking to the other hunters of the Guild. She disliked being referred to as "Valentina's girlfriend". It was tiring.

 _I mean, come on,_ she thought, miffed. _Does nobody have anything to say about me? It's always Tina this, Tina that… I'm an interesting person. I have interesting things to talk about._

Another male hunter scooted close to Melia and nudged her side. She shot him a glare, and he winced from its intensity.

"Hey, Melia, I, uh… wanted to ask you a question."

"Do I know you?" She squinted at him, chewing slowly.

He twiddled his fingers. "Well, you've helped me out with some hunts in the past… I don't really expect you to remember me, though."

She swallowed and decided to show some kindness. "You need something?"

"Well, uh…" He scratched his head. "I was wondering… would you want to go on another… hunt? With me? Just the two of us?" The hunter looked at his hands.

Melia stared at him. "You're asking me out on a hunt? Alone?" He nodded. "I'm really sorry, but I have a girlfriend. Over there." She pointed across the Hall at the Quest Counter, where Valentina's blonde ponytail bobbed as she talked to a Guild lady.

The hunter looked back and forth between the two huntresses. "She's… your girlfriend? I've seen you two together before, but I thought you were just really good friends…" He jumped when Melia slammed her fork onto the table. Her face felt hot as she scowled at him.

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend. Do you have any other questions?" she asked sharply.

"Um…" he squeaked. "Now that I think about it… have you two ever…" He leaned over and whispered into her ear.

Melia stood up abruptly, cheeks flushed. "Ugh! I am _not_ answering that, okay?!" she exclaimed hotly. "I'm leaving." Storming away from the canteen, she heard the other male hunter call after her,

"Hey! You gonna finish this? 'Cause if not, you know…"

* * *

Valentina was pinning a copy of the quest form onto the Quest Board when she noticed a poster with Cierro's face on it. Titled "Wanted", it offered zenny in exchange for information on his whereabouts. Valentina looked around before tearing the poster down and stuffing it in her boot. She heard angry footsteps coming from behind and, turning around, saw Melia walking toward her in a huff, fists clenched. She ran to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, worried.

"Are you okay, Melia? Did someone harass you or something?" Valentina looked Melia up and down. "Wow, I never realized how much skin Nargacuga armor shows."

Melia shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It's nothing." She looked away when Valentina tried to make eye contact. "What sort of quest are we doing first?"

"Well…" Valentina was slightly troubled, but dropped her hands and decided to ask her about it later. "It's a doozy. We're going to the Ancestral Steppe to do the most HR 1 quest of all…" She struck a pose. "Egg—

"Egg gathering?" a voice behind her asked. She turned to see a woman clutching the quest form she had pinned on the Quest Board.

"Yeah, that's the one." Valentina looked at the woman more closely. "Wait, you're the Gunner that saved Melia at the docks!"

"That's me." The huntress smiled. Her voice was soft and sing-songy. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." Valentina scrutinized the huntress. She was definitely the same person; she was a head shorter than her, and wore the same Rathalos armor with a heavy bowgun on her back. But this time, her helmet didn't obscure her face. Her bright red hair spilled out behind her head, and her glasses were the same color. "So you're gonna help us with our quest? May I get your name?"

The huntress looked sideways. "Um… you can call me Secretary. Ms. Secretary." She gave a weak smile. Valentina thought she seemed kind of nervous.

"Okay, Ms. Secretary…" Melia sounded skeptical. "Well, we're just waiting for our friend to finish climbing the stairs, and then we'll go out and get some eggs."

"Is that him over there?" Ms. Secretary pointed to the entryway, where Scoot was hunched over and panting, leaning on a post.

"Speak of the Deviljho," said Valentina, walking toward him. "How're you doing, Scoot?"

Scoot breathed heavily, clutching his chestplate. "Don't— don't talk to me," he gasped. "Let's just— let's just go on this quest." Sweat leaked from his helmet. As Ms. Secretary and Melia came over to them, Scoot looked up and focused on the red-haired huntress. "Hey, I know you," he panted, pointing a gloved finger at her.

Valentina looked at Ms. Secretary, whose face had gone white. "You do? How?" she asked.

"She was, um…" Scoot snapped his fingers. "She was the one who gave me my hunter's license. At the Guild."

Melia looked at her strangely. "You work at the Guild?" she asked.

Ms. Secretary gave a nervous laugh. "You must be mistaken. I'm just a hunter, like you three. I've never even been to the Guild." She shuffled her feet.

"Well, if you say so. I'm probably wrong." Scoot frowned. He straightened up and flexed his shoulders. "Let's just go."

As they walked through the back of the Guild Hall, to an area where Guild hot-air balloons waited for hunters to embark, Valentina glanced at Ms. Secretary's waist. On her ammo belt were several tranquilizer bullets.

"Hey, Ms. Secretary?" she asked curiously. "You probably don't need so many tranq shots for an egg-gathering quest, right?"

Ms. Secretary looked at her waist. "Oh, you're right. Silly me," she chuckled. "Well, too late now, I suppose." The four of them boarded a balloon and soon, after Melia gave directions to the pilot, were soaring toward the Ancestral Steppe…

End of Chapter 7

 **Author's Note: Thanks for 5 follows on my little story. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	8. Is This Loss?

"The Ancestral Steppe sure is beautiful at night, isn't it, Scoot?" asked Valentina cheerfully.

Scoot grumbled in reply. "Well, I'd be able to see more of it if this cliff wasn't in my face."

"Cheer up," Melia said. "We'll have plenty of time to sightsee later, when we're going back to camp."

As soon as the balloon had arrived at the Ancestral Steppe, Ms. Secretary had departed from the hunters, claiming she had some emergency gathering to do. Valentina found it strange, but shrugged it off. She could respect some emergency gathering. After jumping over small canyons in the earth and kicking their way through Konchus, the three hunters were now climbing up a sheer cliff face, toward where a wyvern's nest was known to be. The moon slowly moved above them, making the surrounding area a soft blue. A light breeze blew at their backs.

"You know," Scoot panted, pulling himself over the edge of the cliff, "I'm really surprised that I was able to make that climb." He flopped over onto his back, breathing heavily. Valentina reached the top as well, and turned around to grab Melia's hand, pulling her up.

"What I'm more surprised about is Ms. Secretary straight up ditching us," said Melia, frowning and dusting off her armor. "Either she really doesn't like us or doesn't know how much wyvern eggs are worth." Her violet pigtails seemed to glow in the moonlight, whipping around as she scanned the area. "Where's that nest again, anyway?"

Ahead of them was a large, curved wall that formed the peak of the mountain. Ledges and ridges jutted out from the rugged slope. Valentina pointed to an opening in the wall. "Through there," she said, shivering. "Wyverns like to fly through the hole in the top of the mountain and use the giant nest in there for… stuff." She rubbed her arms, startled that the night had suddenly become so cold.

Melia moved closer and embraced her from behind. "This Rathian armor not doing much for warmth, huh?" she smirked. Valentina smiled back playfully.

"Like you can talk, Melia," Scoot retorted, looking up from the ground. "I can see your thighs."

"Aaand we're done." Valentina shrugged Melia off and pulled Scoot to his feet. "Let's stop looking at each other's thighs and get these eggs, please."

They shimmied through the crack in the wall and looked around the inside. The area was fairly large and quiet, surrounded by the rock walls of the mountain. Moonlight shone through a large opening far above them, illuminating the center of the room; there sat a gigantic nest, and inside rested several enormous eggs. The hunters slowly approached the nest and stopped, gazing at the smooth, white shells.

Valentina took a deep breath, looking up and around them. It seemed strangely quiet. "Nobody say it," she ordered.

"Say what?" asked Scoot, lifting an egg. "Jeez, it's heavy." The egg almost came up to his eyes, it was so big.

Melia picked one up as well. "Nothing," she said sternly, exchanging glances with Valentina. "Let's just get these eggs back. Quickly."

The hunters squeezed back through the crack into the cool night air. Now that they were facing away from the mountain, they had a great view of the land below. Valentina stretched, being unburdened by eggs. "The quest called for two eggs, right?"

Scoot nodded. "Melia's got one, I've got one. Well, that was easy."

Valentina felt the air temperature drop sharply. She paled as Melia opened her mouth in shock. "Shit, don't say that!" she hissed, eyes darting.

"What? Why?" He shrugged, looking confused. "It _was_ easy."

"Stop!" Valentina spun around, panicking, scanning their surroundings. It was too quiet. "If you say something like "that was easy", it automatically—" She gasped as she felt a sharp pain in her neck. "—makes… the quest… harder…" Her mind went blank as her vision began to swim, and it slowly faded to black as she crumpled to the ground…

* * *

"Tina?" Melia asked uncertainly, looking at her girlfriend's body slumped on the stone ground. She placed her egg down and hurried over to her. Rolling her over, Melia's heart leapt into her throat. A short, thin bullet protruded from the side of Valentina's neck. "What… the hell? No, no, no fucking way…" Melia's hands began to shake, and her breathing became shallow. "H—holy fucking shit."

She heard Scoot running toward her and crouching down. He took Valentina's wrist and put an ear over her mouth, his face contorted with concentration. Melia opened her mouth to ask what the hell he was doing, but he held up a finger. A second passed.

"She's still alive," he said in a low voice. "Just… unconscious." He looked closely at the bullet. "That's… a tranquilizer shot."

Melia whipped her head around, looking for the shooter. "I… don't…" She shuddered and glanced back at Valentina. Her eyes were closed, and she could hear her softly breathing. She tried to think, but her mind was racing. It was too quiet.

It was then she heard a low whistling sound, and, looking up, her eyes widened. A large wooden barrel was falling toward them, and from it leaked a thin stream of black powder…

"SCOOT, MOVE!" Melia yelled. She grabbed Scoot around the waist with one arm, and with the other arm seized her Insect Glaive and launched both of them high into the air. A split second later, the ground underneath them disappeared as the barrel made contact and exploded, flashing bright red and yellow across the area. The explosion shook the mountain, and the blast of fire blew Scoot and Melia several yards away.

"Ugh!" Melia shielded her face as she skidded across the stone ground. Sliding to a halt, she looked up in time for Scoot to crash into her, sending both of them sprawling. Dust and debris settled over the two hunters as they regained their bearings.

"What— what the hell?" Scoot coughed. "What's going on?! Was that a monster?"

Melia looked frantically at the place Valentina had been, and her heart froze. "TINA!" she cried, scrambling to her feet and sprinting to the cliff's edge. The area where Valentina had lain had crumbled from the explosion and fallen down the mountain, and only her bow remained. Looking over the side, Melia desperately searched the mountainside. Nothing but the rocky cliffs, with the fog obscuring everything below. Valentina was nowhere to be found.

The sound of a gun firing was enough to bring her to her senses. She turned quickly to hear something whizzing past her ear. "Fuck!" she yelled, diving to the ground. "Someone's shooting at us!"

"What?!" Scoot shouted back. "Who would—" He was interrupted as a bullet struck the Charge Blade on his back, glancing off and hitting the wall next to him. "Okay, I believe you!" He ran, crouching, over to Melia and drew his weapon. Holding his large shield in a defensive position, he asked tersely, "Where's Valentina?"

Melia quivered, and balled her fist. "I have no fucking idea. I— I think she fell off the side." Her breaths came in short gasps as she tried to assess the situation. Monsters, she could deal with. But losing her girlfriend and being shot at by a person was relatively new. Her mind started to spin.

"Shit, really?" Scoot tensed as another bullet struck his shield. "What do we do?"

"I— I don't know!" Melia held her head. "We— we need to—" She shook her head vigorously. "Ugh!"

At that moment, white smoke began to fill the area. A voice boomed from the direction of the wyvern's nest. "You two need to get back to your balloon!" the man's voice shouted. "Before she gets you, too!" Melia looked around Scoot's shield to see a large, hulking figure through the smoke waving at them.

"What?! Who are you? Who's doing this?" cried Melia.

"Your fourth companion, the woman with the bowgun! She is here, hidden above us!"

A shot rang out through the air, and the wyvern egg next to Scoot shattered, sending yolk in all directions. He fell backward onto Melia, shocked.

"Ms— Ms. Secretary?!" he gasped.

"She's been deceiving you! Hurry! Get out of here!"

Scoot grabbed Melia by the elbow and pulled her up. "We need to go!" he yelled, as a second ear-shattering explosion rocked the mountain.

"Wait!" Melia wrenched from his grasp and ran to Valentina's bow, scooping it up. She turned to him. "We can't leave Tina behind! She could still be here!" she cried desperately. Scoot shook his head. She looked at him furiously and was met with a steely gaze of determination through his helmet as he marched up and seized her again.

"She's not here anymore. Take the bow if you have to and come on!" Scoot dragged Melia to the cliff's edge and swung her over. "Climb!"

"Urgh!" She yelled in frustration and began to descend the cliff, with Scoot right above her. As they climbed downward, the sound of gunshots and the man's yells echoed above them, and soon faded away as they quickly reached the bottom. The two hunters sprinted back across the Ancestral Steppe: across rocky flats, through fields of yellow grass, and up planty hills. The bright moon shone above them, until they reached the base camp, where the Guild Balloon sat waiting. Crickets chirped loudly. The pilot was startled awake as Scoot grabbed his shoulder.

"We're abandoning quest." Scoot's voice was quiet and shaky. "Take us back."

"Nya." The Flight Cattendant sprung up and did a head count. "Didn't you have fur— I mean, four people in your purr-ty? We cat— can't leave without them, meow."

Melia covered her mouth with her hands and collapsed to the ground. Scoot shook his head, breathing heavily, and said, "This is an emergency. We need to talk to the Guild."

"Nya… I understand. All aboard!" The Cattendant saluted and hopped onto the pilot's shoulder, who grunted and lit the fuel chamber. Scoot helped Melia stagger into the basket, and soon, they were soaring through the night air, back to the city.

Melia drew a slow breath and closed her eyes.

* * *

 _ **(FLASHBACK START)**_

"It's that girl again…"

It had only been a few weeks after Melia had received her hunter's license. Her first hunts had been big successes, and she felt that she had discovered her true calling in life. Excited for more, she entered the Guild Hall to be greeted with a familiar sight. In front of the Quest Board stood a perky blonde huntress, desperately handing out papers to anyone who passed. Most of the other hunters ignored her or gave strange looks.

"Hello? Anyone want to join my quest?" She shuffled in place, visibly uncomfortable being stared at. Melia had seen her doing the same thing for the past several days, to no avail. She and the other hunters could immediately tell that the girl was new to the hunter's life. Beginner's armor, a beginner's weapon, and no friends, it was the well-known recipe for Hunter Rank 1.

"'Sup, Melia." A male hunter sidled up to her. He followed her gaze, where it landed on the blonde huntress. "Sorry sight, isn't it?" he remarked wistfully, crossing his arms. "It's kind of hard to look at."

Melia blew air from her cheeks. "Sure is. Did I look that desperate when I was new?" she asked.

"Oh no, I wasn't talking about her. I was talking about her jorts." He nodded to the huntress's waist armor, where, sure enough, a pair of jean shorts were visible underneath the large belt.

Melia laughed loudly and doubled over. "Come on, those can't actually be fucking _jorts_ ," she insisted between giggles.

The hunter smirked. "Yeah? Go over and ask her," he teased. "She looks like she could use some company, anyway." He gave Melia a playful punch on the arm and strolled away. Melia composed herself, and stifling the occasional giggle, approached the huntress. Looking at her more closely, she looked to be about the same age as Melia. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back, which rippled as she turned her head to look for potential questmates. On her cheeks were red stripes of war paint. Seeing her come over, the huntress jogged closer and held out a paper.

"Hi!" she smiled breathlessly. "Um, would you like to join my quest?" Melia looked down at the paper in her hand and recoiled. It was a contract to hunt a Gore Magala, a monster several times too advanced for HR1.

"Whoa there," Melia said slowly, pushing her hand away. "First of all, someone like you, no offense, would usually start hunting with Great Jaggi or something. How did you even get this quest?"

The girl pointed wordlessly to the Quest Counter. Melia looked over and saw the Questatrix waving at them suggestively, giving them a wink. She looked back at the huntress in shock, who waved back and blew a kiss.

"You _seduced_ the Guild lady?" Melia asked incredulously. The Quest-givers had some of the hardest shells that Melia had ever seen.

The huntress pouted, looking back at her. "It was the only way I could get a good quest. But now nobody wants to join me." She cast a forlorn glance at the canteen area, where several hunters pretended to look away.

Melia sighed and rubbed her forehead. "The thing is, that's an HR3 quest. It's not that nobody wants to join you, it's that no one wants to carry you."

"I don't need to be carried!" the huntress exclaimed, a confident smile on her face. "Why don't you go on a hunt with me? Then you'll see how good I really am!" She dropped her Gore Magala papers and seized Melia's hands. "Come on, I'll take you on a quest right now!"

Melia looked at their interlocking fingers, a heat spreading up her face. "Uh…" she managed. In her few weeks as a hunter, it was the physically closest she had been with anyone. "Sure, if you want. My name's… Melia." _Am I having a heart attack?_ she thought, but shook her head to clear her mind.

The huntress beamed. "Nice to meet you, Melia!

"I'm Tina. Valentina."

 _ **(FLASHBACK END)**_

* * *

"Melia. Melia, wake up." Scoot's whispering voice stirred Melia out of her sleep. She opened her eyes groggily and blinked. As her vision cleared, she looked around.

They were still in the balloon basket, drifting through the air. The sky was considerably brighter as the first hints of light popped from the horizon. The Flight Cattendant was curled up, asleep, and the pilot was staring straight ahead, focused on flying. Scoot was crouching beside Melia, concern etched on his face. She sat up from the basket's floor, rubbing her eyes.

"What'd you wake me up for?" she asked, slightly irked.

"You were having a nightmare. I think." Scoot pointed to his cheek, motioning for Melia to touch her own. She felt tears and quickly wiped them away. Crying in front of people was something she disdained, and avoided with effort. The memories of what had happened came flooding through her mind, and her heart sank.

"Tina's gone. Isn't she?" she whispered, hugging her knees.

Scoot looked away. "Of course not," was his quick reply. "She's just… missing in action."

Melia didn't respond. They flew in silence until, gradually, the city came into view. The very tip of the sun began to peek over the horizon, casting a bright orange into the basket. After a few more minutes, the balloon reached the landing area behind the Guild Hall. The hunters disembarked and slowly made their way inside.

"Welcome back, hunters!" beamed the Questatrix as they approached the Quest Counter. "Please report your quest results with me."

Melia looked down as Scoot placed his hand on the counter. "We abandoned," he said dryly. "There's an emergency that we have to report."

"Oh? What is it?"

Melia looked up at the Questatrix. A large, fake smile was plastered over the woman's face. "We were attacked by one of the hunters from our party," she said quietly. "She ki— she got one of us. But we escaped. What are you smiling at?" she snapped at the Questatrix. The Guild lady continued to smile as she retrieved a large binder and flipped it open.

"That sounds serious, doesn't it?" She nodded sympathetically. "Can you tell me the name of this hunter? She will be dealt with accordingly."

"She told us her name was Ms. Secretary." said Scoot, annoyance spreading over his face. Melia could tell that the Questatrix's cheery attitude was getting to him as well. "I think she's going to try to kill other hunters, too. The Guild needs to do something about—"

"Nope!" The Questatrix slammed the binder shut and gave a cold smile. "There is no name in our logs that matches a 'Ms. Secretary'. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to come back later with a real name."

Melia stared at her, shocked and angry. "What?! We almost died! This is a real emergency! Look again, will you?"

"I'm sorry, you'll have to come back later." The Guild lady's voice dripped with fake concern. "Please don't waste the Guild's time."

Scoot angrily slammed his palm into the counter. "Listen, lady!" he growled. "There is a killer inside the Guild! Our friend is gone! Does that sound like a waste of time to you?!"

"Leave."

Melia froze, terrified. She had never heard the Questatrix's voice sound so menacing. Her usually kind, welcoming face had transformed into a dark, threatening look that pierced through her. She weakly pulled Scoot away and walked him quickly to the exit.

"Have a nice day!" called the voice behind them.

Melia and Scoot stepped outside. The sun was making its way into full visibility, slowly brightening the city below. Melia wrapped her arms around herself, broken, as Scoot hunched over, breathing heavily. Hunters traversing the stairs gave them sympathetic looks as they passed.

"What… the hell is happening?" Scoot whispered hoarsely. "Why won't she listen? Ms. Secretary actually tried to kill us. Didn't she?"

Melia nodded weakly. "Ms. Secretary…" She closed her eyes and recalled their first meeting. She had seemed so kind, so gentle… so eager to join their quest.

 _You work at the Guild?_

 _You must be mistaken. I'm just a hunter, like you three._

 _There is no name in our logs that matches a 'Ms. Secretary'._

 _Leave._

Her eyes flew open and her heart began to pound. "Oh, shit."

* * *

Cierro leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin. "Interesting," he mused, turning the page of his encyclopedia. "There's monsters that I've never seen before. Strange."

Valentina's house was quiet, as usual. Books were strewn about, as well as scrolls and loose papers. When Cierro decided that Scoot needed to advance to High Rank in order for them to actually get anything done, he had kicked back, expecting it to take a few days at the least. Procrastination was one of his strong suits. It wouldn't hurt to relax and do a bit of light reading before figuring out a plan.

"Isn't that right…" Cierro looked around before sighing and slumping back. "...me?" Although he enjoyed being alone, he didn't take well to being lonely. Valentina's Palico partner, Opal, occasionally walked in and out of the house, but didn't look at or speak to him. After several attempts at communication, he had given up.

Cierro picked up his cup of tea when there was a loud banging on the front door. He looked at it apprehensively and decided to wait. Whoever it was, they weren't there to see him.

The banging came a second time, and Melia's voice pierced through the door. "Cierro! I know you're in there, you shut-in! Open the door!"

"Kind of unnecessary, don't you think?" he replied, chuckling slightly. "Coming!" Stepping over books, he picked his way to the front door. He swung it open, and was greeted with the sight of Melia and Scoot looking rather dishevelled. Melia's eyes were red, as though she had been crying. Scoot was staring hard at the ground.

"What's— what's the matter, guys?" Cierro's half-smile faded as the two hunters walked inside without a word. "How's getting to High Rank going?" He closed the door distractedly, and then opened it again and looked around outside. "Is Valentina off shopping or something?"

"They know."

Cierro turned around to look at Melia, forgetting about the door. "What?"

"The Guild knows." Melia looked at him darkly, and stepped forward, closing the door for him. "They know we're trying to uncover G-rank's disappearance."

"Wha—" Cierro laughed half-heartedly. "Wha— wha— what are you talking about? How could they, uh, know?" He scratched his head, quickly becoming agitated. "Did someone blab?"

"No one blabbed," said Scoot moodily. He shifted back and forth. "But the Guild sent a hitman. Disguised herself as a hunter. Valentina's… missing."

The weight of his words hit Cierro hard. "Missing?" he repeated dumbfoundedly. Melia sat on a chair and buried her face in her hands. "What, did the— did the hitman—"

"We don't know." Scoot turned and leaned into the wall, hiding his face. "We don't know."

Cierro looked between the two dejected hunters, perplexed. He had believed that hunters were capable of most anything, but seeing them like this was like a slap in the face; and to top it off, one of them was gone. He spread his hands, imploring, "Come on, guys. It's too early to give up. We just started this whole operation. I think I've got a new lead—" He jumped when Scoot punched the wall, creating a loud clang.

"What's the point? The Guild knows!" he growled, gritting his teeth. "We can't even do an egg gathering quest without almost getting blown up!" He turned to face them, his eyes flaming inside his helmet. "How can we get to G-rank if the Guild's just trying to kill us?!"

Melia slammed her chair loudly as she stood up. "Are you two forgetting that my girlfriend is probably dead right now?" she cried, her hands fists at her sides. "Who gives a fucking shit about G-rank?" She pointed a trembling finger at Scoot. "You just _had_ go and say the quest was easy, didn't you? And now look at us!"

"It's not like I _wanted_ it to get harder!" he fumed. "But when it did, I tried to keep it together! I got us out of there while you were running around panicking. Unlike you, I'm barely even a hunter!"

"How the fuck did you even get your hunter's license, anyway? I'm surprised you even made it past writing your name on the form!"

"I'm not some monkey! You, you're just a whiny, hard-to-please—"

"ENOUGH!" Cierro stomped his foot, hard. Both hunters looked away from each other, breathing heavily. "It's bad enough that one of us is gone! If we want anything to get done _right now_ , then we need to stop blaming each other and focus!" He walked in between them and looked back and forth. Watching these two yell at each other reminded him of the screaming children that ran around the Wycademy. "Here's our new plan: We're going to stop fighting, and then we're going to forget the Guild for now. Valentina is out there, and we're going to find her, dead or alive. Got it?" He watched Melia flinch at his words. Walking over to her and sitting in the neighboring chair, Cierro addressed Scoot. "We're going to start by having you tell us exactly you passed your hunter's exam."

Scoot looked at him for a few moments, caught off-guard. "What?"

"We deserve to know. Your inexperience has already almost gotten me killed, and from the sound of it, it's happened again." Cierro leaned forward. "Tell. Us."

Scoot stayed silent, still rigid. Slowly, he reached up and detached his helmet, releasing waves of brown hair. His freckled face was red from shouting, but he wore a tight expression, as if he were trying to calm himself. He sat on the couch and sighed shortly, staring at his feet.

"You wanna know how I passed my exam? I'll fuckin' tell you."

End of Chapter 8

 **Author's Note: Guess what the next chapter'll be about? Look forward to it.**


	9. Scoot's Exam - Part 1

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been playing Stardew Valley. Anyway, this chapter was so long that I had to make it two chapters. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **(FLASHBACK START)**_

The waiting room of the Arena was dimly lit, with only a few torches hanging from mounted braziers. Inside the octagonal room sat about a dozen silent hunters, who listened to the muffled sounds of monster roars and weapon impacts resonate from the hallway that led to the Arena. Nobody looked at each other, but stared at the ground or at their feet wordlessly. A stone-faced man stood at the head of the room, arms crossed, looking over the group of young hunters. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, glancing at a particular student who sat alone on a bench.

Staring at his shaking hands, it was Scoot. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what he was about to do. The Hunter's Exam… he had secretly hoped that the day would've never come. The life of a hunter never called to him, never seemed like something a reasonable person would do. Risking his life just for some excitement was the last thing he wanted pursue. Yet here he was, pressured by his friends and family, and it was too late to turn back. His standard Hunter's armor felt like a Bullfango weighing on his back, and his hands were cold and clammy inside his gloves. Scoot stretched his fingers, feeling the tension in his muscles.

"What the hell am I doing…" he mumbled, watching his fingers curl up again. Around him, some hunters shifted restlessly at the sudden words. From the Arena, a muffled explosion rang out, causing some dust to fall from the high ceiling. Several of the students looked up.

"What was that?" someone whispered.

"Did they break something? Can the Exam be cancelled now?" said someone else.

"Stupid, don't you remember? One of them's using a Gunlance," came a third whisper.

Scoot held his head in his hands and groaned quietly. Whatever the monster in the Arena was, it wasn't giving the hunters an easy time. Waiting in silence to be called into the Arena was torture. Nobody knew who would be called next, which was supposedly a lesson in expecting the unexpected. Scoot grimaced at the dry humor. Their last teaching from the Guild, after only a few weeks of basic training, didn't strike him as very helpful.

A pair of scaled boots appeared in Scoot's vision. He looked up, and a wave of dread washed over him. Before him stood one of his fellow hunters that he disliked in particular. She met his gaze with a smirk and raised her eyebrows.

"Candy." Scoot stood until he was at eye level with her. "Here to taunt me?"

Candy pretended to flip her shoulder-length hair over her shoulder. "Oh, Scoot. I was just wondering how my close friend is doing." She tilted her head and gave him a sickly-sweet smile. "We _are_ friends, aren't we?"

Candy was an infamous bully among the trainees. From the first day of training, she put everyone under her boot and established her dominance, unbeknownst to the instructors. She quickly became one of the top students, and few dared to challenge her. No one knew where Candy came from. With an average height, short brown hair, and a soft, sweet-sounding voice, she seemed unassuming at first; but each student had seen her demonic personality come out on the field with her Dual Blades. Scoot, unfortunately, was one of the first to be tormented by her silent bullying.

He looked away harshly. "You're not my friend, Candy," he said through gritted teeth. "Stop trying to act like there's something between us."

Candy gave a fake pout. "But why? Everyone here is so lame… you're the only one who ever wants to talk to me anymore! Come on, Scoot, you think I'm cool, right?" She gave him a hard stare, silently daring him to answer. Another part about her that Scoot hated: her mask of fake sweetness. He hoped that after the Hunter's Exam, he would never have to see her again.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly.

She dropped her childish demeanor, a shadowed complexion crossing her face. "I just came here to give you a little warning, Scooty-boy," she hissed threateningly. "I know you. You're easily the worst monster hunter out of everyone here. If for some Gog-forsaken reason you're in my group for the Exam, and you hold me back even a tiny bit from passing—" She grabbed his wrist and looked straight into his eyes. "—I'll make sure that you see me every time you close your eyes."

Scoot tightened his lips and stared back. Nobody around seemed to notice Candy's silent attack on him. Most of the trainees were either staring at the ground of at the entrance to the Arena. He shook off her grip and took a step backward.

"Say whatever you want about me, Candy," he whispered back fiercely. "Frankly, I'll be glad if I'm in your group. You'd do all the work while the rest of us would get to sit back and watch."

She sneered. "More like I'll get to watch your asses get kicked. You're worthless, got it? Don't fucking forget." She stalked away, fuming. Scoot took some calming breaths, his blood boiling. Nobody had ever gotten under his skin like Candy, but he managed to stand his ground against her constant attacks. It infuriated him to see how easily she crippled the other hunters' self-esteems, and that there was nothing he could do about it. The adults didn't care what transpired among the trainees, so long as they met the passing quota.

Scoot had barely sat back down when a muffled gong sounded from the Arena, marking the end of the current group's Exam. A few seconds later, a hefty man appeared in the entrance and crossed his arms. He bore the symbol of the Guild on his armor, indicating that he was one of the overseers of the Exam.

"Good news, lieblings!" he boomed. "No one died that time! And since I know that many of you, in fact, _want_ to die, I'll remind you again! Being killed by the monster is grounds for disqualification, and your Exam will automatically become null and void!" He stared at the crowd for a reaction, and was met with silence. "Excellent… not responding to good jokes. The first sign of a true Guild hunter!" Pulling out a scroll of paper, he cleared his throat loudly. "Next group! Scoot! Takuya! Alek! Candy!"

Scoot's stomach dropped, and he watched as Candy's head whipped around to give him a deadly stare. As he stood, two other hunters rose with him: Takuya, a skinny boy who clutched his Sword and Shield with trembling hands, and Alek, a stocky, tall boy who rolled his Lance-bearing shoulders with a grin. Scoot saw Candy squinting at the other two boys before wrinkling her nose and turning around to stand up.

"You ready? Too bad!" The man punched his palm. "Into the Arena with you four!"

The four hunters silently followed him into the hall leading to the Arena. Scoot's heart was pounding. It was too late to tell anyone that Candy was right; he _was_ undoubtedly the worst hunter out of all the trainees. It was because of her that, back during training, he was never able to truly practice hunting or using his weapon. She was always either clinging to him like a Konchu, or making snide comments that sapped his motivation. As a result, his skill at using a Charge Blade was that of a newbie's.

 _At least I know how to hold my weapon_ , Scoot thought, glancing at the shaky hunter named Takuya. The sword in his hand rattled against his metal greaves, echoing throughout the hallway as the group walked silently. Soon, they reached a tall pair of metal doors, through which sunlight streamed into the dim hallway. The hefty man stopped and turned around to address the hunters.

"Okay, listen up!" Scoot saw a glint of excitement in his eyes. "As you know, this Exam is the test of everything you've learned as a hunter. You'll need confidence, concentration, and most of all—"

The stocky hunter Alek raised his hand. "Courage?" he guessed.

"Incorrect!" The man stomped his foot and gave a jubilant grin. "The most important thing to have in this test is your coordination! Remember, throughout your hunting career, you'll need to be able to work with dozens, even hundreds of other hunters! This will be a team effort. Therefore, you'd best all like each other."

Scoot glanced at Candy, who noticed him looking and mimed drawing her hunting knife across her throat. He swallowed and looked back at the man, who continued to speak.

"This is how your Exam will go, if you want to pass! There is a monster behind these doors. A flag is tied to it. You'll work together as a team to subdue this monster, and retrieve the flag. Once it's in your hands, you have two options! You pass by either killing the monster, or raising the flag to the top of the flagpole! You fail if time runs out, or all four of you are incapacitated." He spat into his hands and rubbed them together. "Any questions?"

Candy's voice spoke sharply. "What happens if one of us carries the team while the other three somehow undercontribute? We all pass because of one person's hard work? How is that fair?" Scoot winced at her unsubtle jab.

The man laughed heartily for a few seconds. Regaining his composure, he gave Candy a hard look. "It's not fair," he said simply. "That's what can happen. You'll just have to deal with it in the real world."

Scoot gave a slight smirk as Candy was left speechless. It was somewhat satisfying to see her get some comeuppance.

The man cracked his knuckles before gripping the handle of a large door and tugging. Creaking loudly, it slowly swung open to blinding sunlight. The four hunters instinctively shaded their eyes as they adjusted to the change in brightness. Before they could get a good look at the Arena, however, the man gave them a friendly shove, sending them toppling over the threshold.

"Oof!" Scoot had forgotten what a faceful of dirt felt like. To his sides, he heard the impact of his fellow students against the ground as well. The man spoke somberly.

"Good luck." The door squeaked again as it closed. "Remember— teamwork."

"Ah, jeez…" A quiet voice came from above Scoot. He looked up to see Takuya with his hand outstretched. "Here, get up."

"Thanks." Scoot lifted himself up and dusted off his armor. "Wasn't really expecting a rough landing." He looked around. The Arena was a familiar sight, being one of the many places where training took place. It was a large, circular area, surrounded by tall walls. Without any ceiling, looking up granted an open view of the sky. The ground, made of solid, packed dirt, was mostly flat, save for one side of the Arena that sloped upward. For several generations, the Arena had served as a training ground for hunters, but it still looked as good as new. Scoot gulped, hoping it was the last time he would have to be in here. It was unnerving to be trapped inside what felt like a giant soup bowl, and with a monster no less.

"All right, let's do this!" Alek clenched his fists and looked at the group, ecstasy on his face. "Y'all ready?"

Scoot met his eyes and nodded. "I hope so." Although he didn't know Alek, it was reassuring to see someone have a shred of positivity on this day.

Candy sighed irritably. "You wish you were ready, dimwits. One problem, though: where the hell is the monster?"

The hunters scanned the Arena again. She was right; the whole area was completely void of anything that resembled their objective: a monster. The only living things that they could see were themselves. Scoot's nerves jumped twofold. Where was it? What were they supposed to do?

"Um…" Takuya piped up quietly. "Maybe it's a puzzle, or something?

Scoot thought for a moment. "Maybe." He slowly walked toward the middle of the Arena, the other hunters trailing behind. "But they're not really giving us anything to work with." Stopping at the center, he studied the ground as the Alek and Takuya spread out to look around. Candy huffed and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Ugh, what is this bullshit?" she exclaimed. "I don't want to have to think right now. I just want to kick this monster's ass."

"Look, there's the flagpole." Scoot looked up to see Alek pointing at a tall, metal pole with a rope attached to it.

"So fucking what?" snapped Candy. "You'd rather pussy out and pass by using the flag instead of just killing the monster?"

Scoot noticed Takuya crouch down and press his palm to the earth. Imitating him, he put his own hand to the dirt and concentrated. From somewhere deep in the earth, he felt very faint vibrations that were slowly becoming stronger. He looked up, alarmed.

"Guys, something's coming," he warned, but was drowned out by Alek's strong voice.

"Hey, whatever works, works, Candy. I want to pass as much as you do." He held up his hands defensively.

"You might pass, but you'll never be a real hunter if you can't kill a measly monster! Man up, will you?"

Alek scoffed. "Me, man up? I'd say you're manlier than I am."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Candy drew her Dual Blades and twirled them threateningly. The ground was rumbling even harder now. Scoot stood up to intervene, but was cut off when Takuya yelled,

"GUYS, GET DOWN!"

A split second later, the earth between Candy and Alek exploded upward, sending dirt, dust, and the hunters flying. Scoot dove to the ground, panicking. A few chunks of dirt hit the ground next to his head.

"Guys?" he called, and froze when he heard the low, guttural sound of a monster breathing. He turned around to see a large form looming over him, and the hole in the ground from where it had emerged. Looking at the monster, his eyes widened as they rolled over its tan hide, its tree-trunk-like legs, and the two enormous, white horns that protruded from its forehead. He scrambled to his feet as the monster shook dirt off its body and swiveled around to look at the hunters that surrounded it.

"D—D—Diablos…" Scoot stammered, frozen. He had only ever seen one before, and it was in a research sketch during training. It was a massive monster, twice as tall as the average hunter, and four times as long. As it stared at the hunters, swinging its barbed tail about, Scoot realized that tied to one of its horns was a flag bearing the symbol of the Guild. He looked at his acquaintances to see that they had noticed the flag as well, and were getting to their feet and drawing their weapons.

"Okay, guys," Alek called in a low voice. As the dust settled, the Diablos' eyes became visible, and were quickly filling with rage. "We all know what to do. On the count of three—"

"Yeah, whatever." Quicker than Scoot could blink, Candy gripped one of her Dual Blades between her fingers and hurled it straight between the Diablos' eyes. Flinching, it riled up and let out an ear-piercing shriek. The hunt had begun.

End of Chapter 9


	10. Scoot's Exam - Part 2

The Diablos lowered its horns and shook the ground as it charged straight toward Candy, who nimbly vaulted off its head while snatching her Blade embedded in its hide. It turned around and charged again, faster than before. As it came closer, Alek jumped into its path and took the full force of it with his Lance's shield, holding it at bay. He reached for the flag on its horn, which was barely out of reach.

"C'mon—stupid—flag!" he grunted. The Diablos, seeing his attempt, flung its head skyward, sending Alek skidding into the dirt. "Agh!"

"Oh, come on!" Candy spun her Dual Blades in her hands. "Do I have to do everything?" Lowering her stance, she engaged the Diablos with several whirling slashes to its legs, sidestepping its head bashes and horn attacks. It roared in frustration, but she was too quick.

Scoot, who had simply watched this all happen, turned to see Takuya staring at the action, his eyes wide and glazed over… out of fear, maybe? It surprised Scoot to see someone feeling the same way he did, but it also made him feel something else. He didn't want anyone to be scared right now. All he wanted to do was pass the Exam.

"Takuya!" he shouted. "Snap out of it!" He gripped his Charge Blade's sword and shield firmly and, closing the distance between him and the Diablos, swung his blade at its leg with all of his might. Unfortunately, his aim was off, and he felt a jolt go up his arm as the sword bounced off of a claw and out of his grip, merely making the Diablos look away from Candy and deftly swing its horns at him. Quickly filling with adrenaline, Scoot raised his shield in time to block the attack, sending him stumbling backwards. The Diablos' about-face, however, caught Candy off guard as its tail whipped around, striking her square in the shoulder and slamming her into the dirt. She let out a stream of curses as the monster, with its attention on Scoot, reared up and propelled itself hip-first toward him. He blocked the attack with his shield again, but felt the wind get knocked out of him, making him stumble and fall on his butt, gasping. Scrambling to his feet, he rolled under the Diablos' skull bash and seized his fallen sword, staggering away from the monster. It turned and gave a guttural growl, preparing to charge at him.

"GRAAHH!" Alek's war cry reverberated through the Arena as he charged full-speed toward the Diablos, Lance parallel to the ground, with Candy sprinting right behind him. Jumping at the last second, he landed a solid strike on its side, causing it to stumble from his momentum. The Diablos whipped its tail at him in retaliation, which he deflected off his shield. Ducking under it, Candy unleashed a series of slices that Scoot couldn't even see, they were so fast. The Diablos roared in pain and spun in a circle, forcing Alek and Candy to dive to the ground to avoid its heavy tail. They pushed themselves to their feet and ran to Scoot's side to catch their breaths.

The monster and hunters stared at each other standoffishly, both breathing heavily. As the Diablos clawed at the ground and growled, Alek asked, "Where's Takuya?"

Scoot looked around quickly, and spotted the small hunter waving at them from the other side of the Arena. "What the hell…?" he muttered. "I think he wants us to bring the Diablos over there. But why…?"

Candy straightened up, keeping her eyes on the monster. "Don't know, don't care. Like that shrimp is going to do anything useful." She scraped her Dual Blades together impatiently. "Can I get back to it?"

Scoot looked back at Takuya's beckoning figure. There was something urgent about his frantic waving. He vaguely remembered that Takuya's lack of experience hunting monsters was made up in a different department. Turning back to Candy, Scoot said, "Yeah… you do that. I'll just—" He turned on his heel and sprinted away, toward Takuya, and heard Alek join him after a split second.

Candy's voice screeched behind them. "You sons of—!" She was quickly cut off by the even louder Diablos' shriek of rage. Scoot smiled slightly, remembering a lesson from training: the first one to break eye contact with a monster loses.

 _Too bad it had to be you, Candy_ , he thought as he heard her dive to the ground. Thundering footsteps shook the earth. Looking back, Scoot choked when he saw the Diablos chasing after him and Alek, mouth gaping and eyes burning. Apparently, a fleeing target was more interesting than a stationary one. Ahead, Takuya seemed to be shouting something.

"What?!" Scoot shouted back.

"JUMP!"

Without hesitation, Scoot leaped as far as his legs could throw him. As he soared through the air, a distinct electrical humming below him caught his ear. He landed in the dirt next to Takuya, who pulled him up as Alek slid in next to them.

"Um, okay, we're here." Scoot gripped his weapon, staring at the quickly approaching Diablos. "What was—"

Takuya snapped his fingers, and at that moment, the Diablos stopped in its tracks and began to convulse, screeching. Electric sparks ran up and down its body. Scoot gaped, amazed.

"How did you—" He pointed at Takuya's fingers, incredulous.

Takuya shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. Just a simple Shock Trap." He smiled nervously and beckoned them to approach the Diablos. "Hurry, now's our chance!"

The three boys ran toward the paralyzed monster. As they drew near, Candy reached the Diablos as well, a look of utter disgust on her face.

"Where in the flying fuck did you get a Shock Trap, shrimp?" she jeered. "That's cheating!"

"Well, actually…" Takuya motioned to the perimeter surrounding the Arena. "If you look hard enough, there's supplies like, everywhere. In the ground. Must be part of our lesson in gathering or something, I guess?"

Scoot looked at him, and suddenly remembered. Takuya was a student that rarely trained out on the field, but rather expanding his knowledge with books. While others studied the blade, he learned the inside-outs of the monster hunter's world. Scoot admired his dedication.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Alek made a fist. "Let's get that stupid flag!"

The hunters drew their weapons and began to hack at the Diablos' legs. Its paralysis gave it no chance to retaliate, and within seconds, it stumbled and fell to the ground. It began to struggle, breaking the Shock Trap in the process.

"We've only got a few seconds before it gets back up!" warned Takuya. "Someone break off the horn!"

Without hesitation, Candy unleashed two swift slices onto the Diablos' horn. With a loud _snap_ , the appendage fell to the ground as the monster grunted in surprise. Alek quickly ducked down to retrieve the horn and unwrap the flag. Scoot stared in awe as it unfurled, revealing the magnificent symbol of the Guild.

"That's what I'm _talking_ about! To the flagpole!" exclaimed Alek.

"The hell you spouting on about?" Candy made a face, as if that were the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. "Now that we've got the flag, we're going to kill this fucker!" She kicked the Diablos, who was still struggling to stand up.

Takuya crossed his arms. "Huh? An easy way to pass is handed to you and you insist on taking the harder path?"

"The _harder_ path? I'm the top student in this damn class! I kill Diablos for breakfast!"

Scoot raised his finger. "Um, that's not actually the ph—"

"Shut the hell up, _Scoot_. I'm passing this Exam the right way, with or without you losers." Candy turned around to deal with the Diablos, when in one fluid motion, its horns tore through the air and slammed into her chest. Scoot watched, frozen, as Candy sailed several yards away, hit the dirt, and keeled over, gasping. The Diablos staggered to its feet and glared at the boys, its breathing angry and ragged. Scoot felt something soft hit his chest, and looked down to see Alek pressing the flag against his cuirass.

"Take it," Alek breathed. "Run it to the flagpole. Takuya and I'll hold it off."

Scoot looked up and saw Alek's face. He couldn't discern whether he looked frightened or calm.

"Why me?" Scoot whispered.

Alek smirked slightly. "We've trained together," he chuckled feebly. "Everyone knows you were the fastest runner. At least, when it's in the opposite direction of monsters." He shoved the flag into Scoot's hands and drew his Lance. "Go."

Scoot turned on his heel and ran. Behind him, the Diablos shrieked angrily. He ignored it and kept sprinting toward the metal pole that would make him a full-on, licensed Guild hunter. The sounds of Alek and Takuya yelling to distract the Diablos soon faded, and Scoot could only hear his pounding heart and his concentrated breathing. For the entire Exam, he had watched his teammates do everything right. Everything that a real hunter was supposed to do. All he had done was get one of them hurt and abandoned the others to fight the monster themselves.

 _I'm fucking useless,_ he thought as he reached the flagpole. _Dead weight,_ echoed his mind as he attached the flag to the rope and began to pull. _They would be done already if I wasn't here._

A loud Diablos roar pierced into his thoughts, forcing him to look at where he had left Alek and Takuya. His heart began to hammer against his chest, and his breathing became rapid. The two hunters lay in the dirt, groaning and clutching their injuries. Without Candy's ferocity, they had stood little chance by themselves. As the Diablos stood triumphantly over them, it turned to look at Scoot from across the Arena. He widened his eyes and began to pull the rope faster, trying to bring the flag to the top as quickly as possible.

 _If you hold me back even a tiny bit from passing, I'll make sure that you see me every time you close your eyes._ The Diablos braced itself and launched forward, eyes focused on its target.

 _You fail if all four of you are incapacitated._ The ground shook as the monster began to pick up speed, rapidly approaching Scoot. His shaky hands began to slip against the rope, and the flag dropped a few feet.

 _Man up, will you?_ The Diablos was too close to get it up in time. Scoot stood up and took a deep breath, drawing his Charge Blade's sword and shield. There was something that he had always respected about hunters who used shields. It was their ability to not give a fuck.

Time slowed down. The Diablos was inches away. Scoot concentrated with all his might, and as it was about to gore him, he heaved his shield across his body, pushing straight into the inside of the Diablos' long horn and directing the monster's momentum down into the dirt. The earth cracked as the Diablos' horns impaled the ground, sending a fine cloud of dust into the air. Scoot gasped for breath, stunned by what he had done. The Diablos was stuck, unable to break its horns free of their earthy prison. It roared in frustration and struggled to get loose.

Without hesitation, Scoot threw down his weapon and scrambled back to the flagpole. He tugged the rope as fast as he could, and seconds later, the flag reached the top of the pole with a resounding _clang_. Somewhere above, a gong rang out, echoing throughout the Arena. Scoot breathed heavily.

 _It's over._ He slowly tottered over to the struggling Diablos and patted its head numbly. _It's over._

The Exam was over.

* * *

"Congratulations on passing your Exam! You are now an officially licensed Guild Hunter!"

Scoot looked up blearily at the cheery woman smiling at him. The room outside the Arena that he had been brought to after passing the Exam was brightly lit, and a few dozen ecstatic hunters buzzed around, celebrating another group's success. Guild officials stood around to congratulate new hunters. Scoot just wanted to take a nap.

"Where, uh… are the other hunters that were in my group?" he asked. "They passed too, right?" He squinted at the woman's name tag. "Ms... Secretary?"

The red-haired Guild Lady flashed a bright smile. "Of course! However, they were sent to the infirmary after your Exam was over. You all did wonderfully." She presented a small card to him across the counter between them. "This is your Guild Card. It marks your status as a hunter. Congratulations! You look forward to working for us!"

Scoot scratched his ear. "Sorry, what was that?"

"We look forward to working with you!" Ms. Secretary adjusted her glasses and beamed. Scoot nodded hesitantly and accepted the card.

 _Guild Ladies are weird,_ he thought as he walked away, holding his head. The noise around him wasn't loud, but a little peace and quiet was all he desired. Bumping into what seemed to be a wall, Scoot looked up and was met with the sight of Alek towering over him, accompanied by Candy and Takuya. Wearing everyday clothes, they looked strange without armor and weapons.

"Guys?" Scoot asked incredulously. "How'd you get out of the infirmary so fast?"

Alek flexed, grinning. "Diablos ain't no match for some Max Potions, I'll tell you what."

Takuya smiled at Scoot weakly. "Or you, Scoot. We wouldn't've passed without you."

Scoot's face felt warm. Being praised was the last thing he'd expected to come out of his horrible attempts in the Exam. Or out of becoming a hunter in general.

"Come on now," Scoot broke into a smile. "It was all of us that made it work." He looked at Candy, who was refusing to make eye contact with him. "Candy?"

She muttered something that Scoot couldn't hear. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," said Scoot, leaning forward inquisitively.

Candy looked up furiously, her face glowing red. "I _said_ , you damn scrub, that if we ever run into each other out there again, I will _end_ you! You hear me?" She stalked past him, fuming, to claim her Guild Card from the counter.

Alek clapped Scoot on the shoulder as he followed her. "Good luck, buddy," he grinned. There was a hint of humor in his voice. Scoot stood alone with Takuya, who looked ready to collapse from exhaustion.

"So, Scoot." Takuya pocketed his hands and let out a tired sigh. "What do you think you'll do now?"

Scoot contemplated. Becoming a hunter didn't use to mean much to him. He had originally planned to return home and pretend like he had never taken the Exam, but the hunt had awoken something in him. It was exciting, it was new… it was fun.

"I don't know, really." Scoot shuffled in place. "What's a newbie hunter supposed to do? Start the climb to G-rank?"

"You know what I've heard?" Takuya tapped his foot. "The Wycademy is looking for hunters. Dudes like us to go out on field research with scientists and stuff. Protect them from monsters. But I've heard that it's the easiest job in the world."

Scoot scoffed good-naturedly. "I'll bet."

"Think about it if you're not sure what to do." Takuya raised a hand in goodbye. "I'll see you out there, yeah?" He walked past him to follow Alek and Candy. Scoot looked after him and frowned.

 _A Wycademy hunter, huh…_ He kicked the ground. _Hmm…_

 ** _(FLASHBACK END)_**

* * *

End of Chapter 10  


 **A/N: Tell me what you thought, if you'd like. Writing this is super fun.**


	11. I'm In Lesbians With You

**Author's Note: Wow, two months, huh? My bad. I am still in school, after all. Enjoy this chapter, and Merry Christmas!**

* * *

"…Scoot."

Scoot looked up. Melia and Cierro were staring intently at him. They hadn't spoken once during his recounting of the Hunter's Exam, and he had assumed that they were being polite. But now he got the feeling that they were at a loss for words. The room was filled with a heavy silence. Scoot shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Sorry, I think I spaced out there for a second." He shifted in his seat. "Well, now you know. One year ago, I passed my Exam by doing nothing." His heart felt gripped by shame as he bitterly tried to forget the story he had just told. The fact that these two people now knew the low extent of his abilities as a hunter didn't help very much, either.

Melia regarded him with questioning eyes. "Actually, it didn't sound like you did 'nothing'. You're the reason that there are four more hunters out there today. I'd say that you did the most."

"Sorry, Melia," Scoot sighed, holding up a hand. "I don't want a pity party."

"Oh, we're not pitying you." Cierro folded his hands and looked away. "That… was actually a pretty impressive story."

"Impressive?"

"Look, Scoot." Melia leaned forward and placed her hands over his. "Nobody's perfect. You're too hard on yourself. I'm—" She hesitated. "—I'm sorry I misjudged you. I wish I had known what you've been through before being so harsh."

"That's not really necess—"

"I'm sorry, too." Scoot looked, surprised, at Cierro, who was speaking through gritted teeth. "I shouldn't have made you out to be so useless. You've opened my eyes."

"Wait, you thought I was usel—?"

"Point is, Scoot," Cierro reasoned, "I feel like I understand you better now."

"Same here." Melia straightened up and gave a lukewarm smile. "I'm glad that you're with us for this whole G-rank thing. And… finding Tina thing."

Scoot stared disbelievingly. It hadn't been more than ten minutes ago that he and Melia had been yelling at each other, berating the other with insults and name-calling. But they had been driven by stress and anxiety about their situation then; now, after calming down and hearing a story, both of them seemed more in control of their emotions. Gratitude for Melia's maturity welled up inside him, and he looked down to hide his expression.

"So… you still want me for this?" he asked cautiously. "You've already heard… and seen how useless I am." He flinched as Melia lifted his chin with a finger, looking straight into his eyes. Her face was set with determination.

"You're not useless." The conviction in her quiet, controlled voice was unmistakable. "When your Exam teammates were down, you were the one who pushed through. When Tina got shot, you checked on her while I was panicking. And you saved my life by shielding me and forcing me to move. You're just as much of a hunter as me or Tina."

Scoot couldn't find the words to respond, opting for a nod instead. Something had reignited inside him. He felt determined.

Cierro yawned. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Mel."

"Don't call me Mel," she snapped, breaking contact with Scoot to look at the stretching researcher.

He stood up and straightened his lab coat. "Well, have we all calmed down now, children? I think I know what we need to do next."

"You're barely older than us…" Scoot muttered, which Cierro ignored.

"So, what is it?" Melia stood up as well. "Does it involve finding Tina?"

Cierro looked at her for a second. "Well, now that you mention it, I suppose it does." After a pause, he started for the door without saying anything else.

"Hey— hey, wait! Cierro!"

"Wha— Melia, wait up…!"

* * *

 _ **(FLASHBACK START)**_

"Valentina, slow down, will you?"

Melia panted as she hauled herself over the edge of the tall, stone cliff. Ahead, Valentina was already squeezing through a crack in the peak of the mountain.

 _Does that girl ever slow down?_ Melia thought, lifting herself to her feet and dusting off her Jaggi armor. When the blonde huntress had pointed excitedly to an egg-gathering quest back at the Guild Hall, Melia was initially less than excited. The Ancestral Steppe was boring, and grabbing materials and leaving without any sort of hunt was the very essence of HR1. But something had made her hesitantly accept. She had some small but urgent desire to help this girl. It was like watching an overly energetic rabbit hop straight toward the open jaws of a Rathian. The impulse to protect something weak and helpless.

 _No, it's nothing._ Melia slapped her cheeks to wake herself up. _I'm just helping an HR1 noob get through a quest. Nothing special._ Looking up, she felt a drop of rain fall onto her forehead. The sky was gray and overcast, signaling a storm. She hurried to the opening in the mountain and wormed her way through.

Inside the wyvern's nest, Melia found Valentina with her back to the entrance, staring down at the center of the large, chamber-like nest, where the wyverns typically laid their eggs. She approached the huntress.

"Finally caught up to you," she grumbled. "You know, there's such thing as 'taking a break from running the moment the balloon lands'." When Valentina didn't respond, Melia followed her gaze down to the nest and froze. It was a horrific sight. The eggs that would normally be sitting in the nest were shattered; shards of eggshell lay strewn about, and copious amounts of egg yolk was splattered all around. Not a single egg remained intact. As Melia stared, the smell of the yolk hit her, and she cringed, coughing and waving her hand.

"Whoa," was all she could manage. It was usually not difficult at all to gather eggs; the wyverns left the nests unoccupied all the time. But it was unusual for something like this to happen. Melia grimaced and turned to Valentina. "Sorry. I think we'll have to go back. Not much we can…" She trailed off as she saw a tear fall from the blonde huntress' cheek. Valentina sniffed and faced Melia, who was bewildered to see her crying. The formally bubbly and energetic air around her had fallen into hypothetical mush. Her clear, blue eyes were wet and her lips trembled.

"It's so ho—horrible…" Valentina sniveled. "Wh—who would do this?"

"Uh…" Melia wasn't quite sure what to do. She was distracted by the sudden change in the girl's appearance, but tried to pull herself together. "It must've been hunters who got here before us. Some people think it's funny to smash eggs. Gets the monster all riled up. Or something like that…" She immediately thought about how smart it was to say that out loud.

Valentina crouched and gingerly touched a shell fragment. "Are… all hunters like that?" she asked quietly, looking up at Melia for an answer.

Melia stagnated. Either lie to this innocent new hunter, or reveal the truth that a significant amount of the Guild's hunters were, in fact, not likeable people. "Um— no, of course not!" She smiled anxiously, waving her hands. "A lot of hunters are actually really nice. So don't get the wrong idea or anything."

Valentina didn't look convinced, but stood up anyway. "We should go," she mumbled. Taking a last fleeting glance at the nest, she shuffled past Melia toward the exit, shoulders slumped.

Melia silently sighed in relief. _I'm glad that didn't go down too badly,_ she thought. _That was easy. Once we get back to the Guild Hall, I'll find some excuse to let this girl go…_ As these thoughts crossed her mind, her heart wrenched. She shook her head perplexedly. _What's wrong with me? When I think about never seeing her again, it hurts…_

The sound of beating wings shook Melia out of her confused thoughts. A slight wind rustled the twigs and dead leaves on the ground, growing stronger as the beating wings grew louder. Looking up, she choked as the large form of a Rathian slowly descended through the open mountaintop, its barbed tail dangling and its wings stirring up a large draft throughout the chamber. The green wyvern, unaware of what lay below, landed directly in the middle of the nest and immediately slipped on the copious amount of egg yolk and whites that were splattered around. It landed on its side with a loud _crash_ and let out a large roar of surprise. Melia's mouth gaped as she watched the Rathian struggle to its feet and peer down at the remains of its eggs.

"Shiiit…" escaped from her lips before she could stop herself. The Rathian snapped its head toward the noise, and regarded Melia for a few seconds. She thought she could hear the gears turning in the wyvern's head, but couldn't bring herself to move. As the two stared at each other, Melia felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Valentina, looking shaken and staring wide-eyed at the Rathian.

"We need to go, we should go, _right now_ ," the blonde huntress whispered, extremely tense. A guttural growl emitted from the Rathian's throat, the rumble echoing from the walls of the chamber.

Melia swallowed her tension and nodded silently. Before she could take a step, the sound of a deep breath being drawn came from behind her. A second later, the Rathian roared powerfully, which rumbled the mountaintop and made several pebbles drop from the ceiling. Both Melia and Valentina clutched their ears as the blast of sound hit them, crouching down instinctively. Flames licked at the edges of the Rathian's mouth. Rearing its head up, it sliced down to loose a blast of fire from its maw, which rocketed toward Valentina.

" _No!_ " Melia shrieked, tensing herself to tackle the huntress out of the way; but the fireball moved faster than she could focus. She watched the blast of fire crash into Valentina, hurling her into the stone wall. She fell to the ground on her back and gasped sharply. Melia could see the scorched parts of her armor where the blast had hit her.

"Frick… _that hurt!_ " Valentina choked, staggering to her feet and holding her waist. She winced and shook her hands out. Melia sprinted up to her and seized her arm.

"Let's get out of here!" she yelled over the Rathian's second roar. As the wyvern charged and attempted to swing its tail at them, the girls ducked and ran for the exit. They squeezed through as quickly as they could, and stumbled over each other onto the stone landing outside. A cold breeze swept over them. Melia realized that the rain was pouring down, which drenched the huntresses in seconds. The area was quickly darkening, and the only break from the dim light was the occasional flash of lightning from somewhere within the clouds above. The wind howled.

"Heh?" Valentina giggled, looking up at Melia from her position on all fours. "Why couldn't we hear this from inside the nest?"

Melia looked at her. Her long, blonde hair was drenched, sticking to her neck and face. Her armor sizzled as the cold rain met the hot steel. Even though she was soaked and probably still hurting from that fireball she took, Valentina grinned at her like she was having the time of her life. Melia's heart pounded as she stared, speechless.

In the corner of her sight, a large, flaming _something_ was hurtling at her from above. Melia managed to dive away as a fireball seared the spot where she had been standing. Snapping her head up, she spotted the Rathian, who had flown back up through the mountaintop, soaring through the air toward the huntresses. It came to a stop and hovered in front of them, flapping its powerful wings and staring bloody murder. The huntresses pulled themselves up, now trapped between the flying wyvern and the entrance to the nest. Lightning flashed, and the Rathian momentarily became a silhouette, framed by the falling sheets of rain.

Melia spun her Insect Glaive to her side, gripping it tightly. "Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an HR1," she bemoaned over the howling wind.

Valentina snapped her Bow out in front of her and twirled an arrow. "What about side by side with a friend?" She smiled cheekily in Melia's direction.

Melia's face felt hot against the cool rain. "Eh," was all she could manage.

The Rathian screeched and dove toward the two girls, who tensed up and engaged with equal ferocity.

 _ **(FLASHBACK END)**_

* * *

"...Melia!"

Valentina shot awake and sat up, her heart pounding. Her mind took a few seconds to register what was real, and as her breathing slowed, she looked down, grimacing.

 _It's been months since I've had that dream… of our first quest together._ Hot tears ran down her cheeks, and she wiped them away quickly. _What the hell is going on?_ She looked up. _More importantly…_ "Where am I?" she said, glancing around.

She was sitting on a cot of sorts, surrounded by the white walls of a triangular canvas tent. The shadows of leaves danced as sunlight illuminated the inside of the structure. Outside of the tent, Valentina could hear the sounds of people walking and talking, like a small village or homestead would sound. A loud snore caught her attention, and she turned to see a large, hulking man sitting in a chair by her bed, totally conked out. His rumbling snores lifted his muscular arms crossed over his chest, and his head lolled down as he slumbered.

A thousand questions began to spring up in Valentina's mind. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what had happened before she had fallen asleep. _I remember doing an egg quest with Melia and Scoot… and then…_ She rubbed a part on her neck that felt sore. _I remember an explosion, and then falling…_ Her memory faded after that. It was then she realized that her armor and weapon were missing; she lifted the blanket she was under to reveal a simple, knee-length gown and nothing else. "Gah!" she yelped, springing out of the bed. Being without the things that made her a hunter made her feel vulnerable.

Her sudden outburst made the slumbering man start, and he looked up with a surly expression at Valentina, who had taken a defensive martial arts position. He rubbed his eyes and grunted. "Settle down there, miss. Don't hurt yourself, 'else it's on my head." His voice was low, rumbly, and slightly perturbed at having been woken up so suddenly.

"Where am I? How'd I get here?" Valentina demanded, staring as fiercely as she could at the bald man. His armor was that of a hunter's, and a large Switch Axe rested next to his leg, which tapped testily.

"I'll gladly tell you, miss, if you'll put those fists of yours away." The man stood up, grunting, and mounted his Switch Axe onto his back. His height towered over Valentina. He looked at her adamantly until she sheepishly lowered her hands.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"No need." The man raised a hand in dismissal. "Follow me." As he passed Valentina on the way to the tent entrance, something on his armor glinted, catching her eye. Her heart began to race.

 _Huh? Is that what I think it is?_ She swallowed, not daring to believe her eyes. _No way…_ "Um, excuse me… sir?" she said hesitantly, stopping the man in his tracks. "What's that on your chestplate?"

The man turned around quizzically. "This?" He pointed to a pin that was hammered into the armor over his heart. The pin was in the shape of a small, bronze crown, and emblazoned in the center of it was the letter G. "My rank."

Valentina stared. "What…"

The man that stood before her bore the symbol of a G-rank hunter.

End of Chapter 11

 **Author's Note: And in case the next chapter doesn't come out for a while, Happy New Year as well.**


	12. The End

**Hey all, UltraCutie here.**

This is a note to the dear followers, favoriters, and reviewers of my first Monster Hunter fanfiction, _Heart and Mind_. I am putting the story on indefinite hiatus, and for several reasons. Please keep in mind that I am not bitter, sad, or angry about anything as I list these reasons:

 **The story was going nowhere, and fast.** As much as I brainstormed, I could not come up with any more feasible plot points that made sense. I had already made several mistakes with the story, and it diverted from the main plot too much beyond recovery. I am happy with what I have created, but it became increasingly difficult to create any more.

 **I don't have a lot of time (to write).** As college grows closer, I have less time (and motivation) to write fanfiction. Free time I do have goes to video games (like MHWorld!), which I admittedly enjoy more than writing. As such, writing constantly dropped lower on my priority list.

 **I'd like to brainstorm different ideas for stories, and I don't want to write more than one story at once.** Self explanatory, I wasn't very satisfied with where _Heart and Mind_ had turned out, and a lot of ideas for other stories came to me as I wrote.

Writing _Heart and Mind_ was very fun, and I'm glad I did it. It was the first time I had really written a story of my own, and it was a fun experiment in the world of fanfiction. I might come out with more stories in the future, but for now, it's adios, amigos!

 **Thanks for following, favoriting, and reviewing. Shoutouts to my two reviewers, Declanis and SabreKnightNA! Most of all, thanks for reading!**


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